


Tear You Apart

by Arithese



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Blood, Brotherly Angst, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Damian Wayne-centric, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt, Flashbacks, Gen, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, Past Child Abuse, Pretty Graphic Injuries, They love each other, Torture, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-10-28 14:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17788904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arithese/pseuds/Arithese
Summary: After another fight with Damian, Tim runs off alone and gets captured. Damian thinks it's his fault, and tries to find his brother, no matter the cost.





	1. Chapter 1

July 29th, 2019. 23:56

"I could have easily handled this on my own." Damian huffed, puffing out his chest a little. Tim didn't even look at him, rolling his eyes at the antics of his little brother. Because yes, he might be annoying, but he was still his little brother. He knew it wasn't Damian's fault that he was an asshole, that was all Talia's doing.

But that didn't mean Tim  _had_ to like him.

"Obviously not, demon." Tim shot back lightly, flipping over a goon and kicking him in the chest. Tim, in his Red Robin costume, whirls around, grinning slightly. "You're bleeding and in way over your head." Tim says, twirling his bo staff and whacking another goon upside the head. I mean, they weren't good, not by a long shot.

They were sloppy, untrained, unprofessional and not a coherent team. And Damian was right when he said he could've easily taken them down, but not when they were with this many. Their sheer amount would've defeated Robin, and if it hadn't been for Red Robin jumping in…

Red Robin shook his head quickly, not wanting to think about that. He still had a soft spot for the kid, ever since their discovery after the feargas incident. Damian.. hadn't changed much afterwards, not drastically at least. He got better, with Dick's teachings of course, and Bruce coming back helped him as well.

Robin narrowed his eyes, seeing a goon swing his weapon at Red Robin's unguarded back, and he quickly threw a batarang at him, jumping at the goon. The man beneath him cried out, and he quickly took him down to the ground, knocking him out on the stones. Robin huffed, clicking his tongue and glancing up.

Red Robin had turned around as well, observing their accomplishment with a proud smile on his face. It was then that he remembered that Robin had been injured in the fight. He glances at Damian, seeing blood soak the costume around his stomach and his left arm. Tim frowns slightly, walking over to his little brother.

"How bad is it?" Tim asks, putting a gentle hand on Damian's shoulder. The latter frowns, slapping the arm away.

"I do not need your help." He hisses, stepping backwards and seemingly unbothered by his own wounds. Tim feels a pang of annoyance go through him, but he pushed it aside.

"Remind me again when you don't need my help, gremlin." Tim retorts, and Damian shoots a glare over to him.

"Remind me again when Nightwing gives you the mantle of Robin back." Damian snaps back, and Tim can feel his stomach turn. Because  _that_ betrayal still stung, hard. Tim narrows his eyes behind his domino mask, taking a step backwards as well. Damian seemed smug about his comment, but there was something off about his body language.

And yet,Tim couldn't seem to care about that.

"I'm not doing this today." Tim sighed, reaching for his grappling hook and firing.

"Coward." Damian spat after him, but Tim ignored him, pulling himself up to the rooftop. Tim could feel tears burn in his eyes but he bit them back, leaping to the next rooftop. He knew why Damian acted like this, he understood and he felt sorry for the kid, but he just couldn't handle it, the constant belittling from him.

Damian acted like he was better than him constantly, and he knew how to press Tim's buttons every time he wanted to.

"Help!" A female voice suddenly echoed through the air. Tim immediately whirled his head around, looking down. There was a male figure, quickly approaching a young girl in the alley. Tim almost rolled his eyes at the cliché but he shook the feeling off, jumping down without a second thought. He felt wind rush past his ears and he carefully landed behind the guy..

Then as swiftly as he could he pounced on the guy, twisting his body and quickly taking him down to the ground. His head cracked against the ground, and he glanced down with a satisfied smirk.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Tim asks, turning around.

"Better than ever." The female voice smirks, and before Tim could properly see her face, something hit him in the head. A loud yell escapes his mouth, but his vision darkened before he even hit the ground with a loud thud. He could hear a laugh, a male voice this time, before a cackle echoed through the air.

And he could only think about two things…  _He recognised that laugh anywhere and that voice… the voice of the woman…_

_That was definitely Cassandra._

_*_

_*_

_*_

Damian scowled, watching his older brother disappear into the night, watching him with a glare. His stomach was throbbing slightly, but he could barely feel the wound on his arm, even if he could feel that it was bleeding. He didn't pay attention to it, reaching for his own grappling hook and pulling him up to the rooftop as well.

He glanced around, but he couldn't see Red Robin anywhere already.

"Nightwing." Robin spoke into his communicator, putting a hand on his stomach. His glove came back red, even if it was barely visible in the dark.

"Robin, are you okay?!" Nightwing's anxious voice rang through his ear, and he was slightly panting from the other side. "I sent Red towards you for-"

"So that was you." Robin interrupted bitterly. "I did not need help, Nightwing. I work find by myself." Robin scowled, and he could hear Nightwing let out shaky laugh at the sentence.

"I'm glad to hear you're safe." Nightwing chuckles, and Robin could hear him firing his grappling hook again. "Where is Red now?" He continues, and Robin scowls even harder at the same.

"He ran off like the coward he is."

"Robin." Nightwing sternly warned, but Robin didn't pay attention as suddenly a scream echoed through the air. Robin's eyes widened behind his domino mask.  _Tim_. "Robin?!" Nightwing shouts but Robin tunes him out, already gone before Nightwing could finish his sentence. He just ran, not caring about anything but the scream.

That scream was definitely Red Robin's, he could recognise that scream anywhere.  _And it was his fault that he was alone_. Robin jumped across a rooftop, rolling swiftly across the pavement before sprinting further. His stomach protested and even his arm complained at the abuse as he shot his grappling hook.

But that didn't matter all that mattered was getting to that scream as fast as possible.

He jumped again, stopping abruptly when he saw a man on the ground, unconscious. Damian frowned behind his mask, stashing his grappling hook and jumping down swiftly. It was then as if his heart stopped beating, a nauseating sense of deja vu washing over him, or rather, familiarity washing over him.

Like big icy waves that destroyed anything in its path, just relentlessly raging through his entire body. Because that's what it felt like. Damian took a hesitant step forwards, legs almost giving out as he slowly crouched down to pick up the item that was so close to the man that was, luckily still breathing, in that alley as well.

Damian felt his stomach turn, not because he remembered the story behind it, because he never lived it fortunately. But because he knew it all too well, too much that he would like to admit. He brings a shaky hand to his earpiece, activating it. There was a soft, static, sound from the other side to signify the connection.

"Robin?" Nightwing's voice was hesitant, filled with fear.

"Red Robin… he's gone." Damian forced himself to say, hand clenching around the item in his hand. "Joker has him."

He disconnected before he even got the answer, and he wasn't sure if he wanted a response, especially not when there were more people listening in, one of them being Jason.

Damian unclenched his hand, scowling before turning around to find the quickest route back home.

The crowbar still in his hands.

*

*

*

"We should head back." Nightwing whispers softly. Damian doesn't react, staring down at the city he had sworn to protect, but could now be burned down to the ground for all he cared. Nightwing sighed behind him, and Damian could hear him stand up, walking over to him. Damian tensed slightly, but he didn't react.

There was a silent moment, before Nightwing carefully puts his hand on Damian's shoulder. "Robin." He whispers again, but Damian slaps the hand away the moment the name leaves his oldest brother's mouth.

"I'm not going anywhere." Damian hisses, glaring up at his brother. "Not until we find him." He adds with a mutter, looking down at the street again. The same alley that he had found the crowbar, but was now empty. Even the man had been arrested by the police, but Damian couldn't care less about him now.

Nightwing stayed silent for a short moment, wanting to give his little brother a moment.  _But they needed to get back home_. The sun was already poking its head out, and the sky was illuminated by an orange glow. It was already becoming light in Gotham, and they obviously couldn't stay outside for any longer.

"Robin, let's go back." Nightwing insists again, and Damian scrunches up his nose at the sentence. It wasn't a command, but Damian understood the tone behind his brother's voice;  _It kind of was a command_. And Damian's body followed before his mind truly did, sluggishly stepping off the ledge as a shiver wracked through his body.

Nightwing watched silently with sadness in his eyes. Damian walks over to him, not even glancing at him. His older brother put a careful hand on Damian's shoulder, but be immediately shrugged it off, sending a glare to Nightwing. He didn't say anything, neither of them did, for which Damian was glad right now.

Damian shook his head slightly, jumping off the roof and making his way over to the Batmobile.

Nightwing joined him minutes later, but neither of them said anything. The engine of the Batmobile echoed through the air, and Damian stared out of the window. Buildings shot past him as his brother raced home, and he couldn't take his eyes away from them because of the small chance that one of them would show him his brother.

But he knew that wouldn't be the case, he knew Tim was gone.

 _And it was his fault_.

The ride was tense, but Damian just stared, brows knitted behind his domino mask. So hard that the spirit gum was starting to irritate his face, but he didn't pay attention to it. He couldn't pay attention to it. All that flashed through his mine was Tim… Drake. He scowled, leg twitching at the sudden thought that rang through his mind.

_He could only think about his immediate older brother.._

"Robin." He could suddenly hear a voice say, and he blinked into focus again, staring at the face of his father, cowl resting on the back of his neck. He seemed pained, and angry, and it was obvious why he was feeling those emotions. Damian grumbled, climbing out of the batmobile and ripping off the mask from his face.

"I am fine." Damian snarled, brushing past his father and over to the exit.

"Perhaps it is wise for you to sit down momentarily?" Alfred suggested, and Damian send a glare his way.

"I said I was fine Pennyworth." He hisses, but Alfred was unfazed, already too used to all of the kids, including Bruce. There was a flash of doubt, perhaps regret, across Damian. but just for a split second, and nobody besides Alfred even noticed it. The boy turned away without wasting another second, storming out of the cave.

Alfred sighs, turning over to the two remaining members currently in the batcave. Dick had also removed his domino mask, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood behind Bruce, who had now taken his place again behind the computer.

"He's just frustrated Alfie, he didn't mean it." Dick says, but Alfred shakes his head.

"I am well aware of Master Damian's tendencies to lash out should he feel frustrated." Alfred tells him, and Dick cracks a small smile.

"That he does." Dick mutters, and Alfred turned to the screen.

"Do you have any luck locating Master Timothy so far?" Alfred asks, but Bruce sighs, shaking his head.

"His comms were taken out and his tracker is offline." Bruce looks at Alfred, who raised an eyebrow. "Both trackers." Bruce affirmed, turning back to the screen himself.

"And the crowbar?" Dick asks softly, putting a hand on Bruce's shoulder. His dad's muscles were tense underneath his hand, and it only served as another reminder what was going on here.

"Running scans on it right now." Bruce said, gesturing to where the crowbar was indeed being scanned. It wouldn't take long before the results would come back.

"Hopefully it will tell us who got him." Dick muttered, rubbing his own neck.

"We know who took him Dick." Bruce shot back, but Dick shook his head.

"We don't know for sure Bruce, it might be something to distract us." Dick shot back, Bruce glanced back at his oldest son.

"No one else knows what that crowbar means, Dick. The Joker wants to know it's him."

"He could've told someone about the crowbar." Dick mutters, crossing his arms on his chest and turning around. "I don't know Bruce, something just doesn't feel right, I don't think it's the joker." Dick says, but all he got from Bruce was silence. It showed he wasn't certain either, but one thing was clear to all of them.

_No matter who had Tim, they had to find him fast._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter done! What do you think about it so far? The story will have 9 chapters in total, and they’ve already been pretty much completed. I will update every Saturday and I want to do something along the lines of an extra chapter on Wednesday should the chapter get a certain amounts of comments, but figuring as this is my first multi-chaptered Damian centric story… we’ll see what the response is to this. 
> 
> This chapter is not posted on Saturday (obviously) but I’ll be going on a holiday tomorrow morning for a few days and I wanted to get this story up and running. So if the response is good, there will be an extra chapter on Wednesday. 
> 
> See ya!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the response! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

 

August 1st, 2019. 01:02

"Tell me where he is, right now!" Damian hisses, drawing the knife in closer. The thug's eyes widened, eyes drawn to the whites of Robin's mask instead of the knife.  _Good_. Damian thought grimly, but he couldn't even feel an ounce of satisfaction at the fear the thug was feeling. All that mattered was getting  _Tim_  back.

Which included getting the thug to talk.

"Speak!" Damian continues, making a slashing motion and the thug yelped in fear, closing his eyes. Damian growls, feeling his hand tighten around the shirt the thug was wearing. The only thing that was keeping him from falling to the ground right now. But the man seemed besides himself from fear, not speaking up.

Damian scowls, about to shout again before he heard a  _thud_  behind him.

"Robin." Nightwing's voice rang through the alley, and Damian frowns, not taking his eyes off the thug. "Let him go." He ordered, and for a second, Damian did nothing. He could feel Nightwing approach him, and with a scowl he pushed the thug down. His head collided with the stones beneath him, knocking him out immediately.

"You didn't have to do that." Nightwing blurts out, but Damian ignores him, standing up and stashing his knife in his belt. The zipties were still wrapped around the thug's wrists, tying his arms behind his back, but he didn't really care.

"He would've talked." Damian growled, brushing past his brother. Nightwing sighed, whirling around and grabbing Robin's shoulder, turning him back around. Damian allowed his brother to do so, staring right up at him.

"We will find Red, kiddo." Dick says softly, crouching down until he was almost at the same level as his youngest brother. "But not like this, this is-"

"Do not say we are better than them, Nightwing." Damian interrupts him with a harsh whisper. "I will do whatever it takes to get him back." He continues, and Dick can feel his heart jolt slightly.  _Him,_ Tim.

"Even killing?" Dick suggest, and it was as if he had shot the kid in his stomach. Damian's eyes widened slightly, and he jerked back. The surprise only lasted a few seconds, before a dark look crossed his face.

"You know I wouldn't." Damian spat, taking a step back. "I'm not  _that_  person anymore." He shouts, before running away. And it was true, Dick knew Damian wouldn't. He had been trying so hard to change, and he had vowed not to kill anymore even before Bruce returned from the death. He promised Dick that he would do better, and he would follow his brother.

But it also hadn't been that long since Damian truly showed remorse for killing people.

And yet, the kid was good at hiding what he felt, and he wasn't good at admitting he was wrong, or he had been wrong in the past. So he might've been against killing for a long time before Dick started to realise it.

Dick frowns, watching Damian disappear. It was better to let him go, he knew that. Tracking him down was useless… tracking him down while he was tracking down Tim was useless. Dick sighs, rubbing his neck. He looked back at the thug, making a mental note to call the cops, or an ambulance, the moment he got to the rooftop.

He knew there was no point in staying out like this, they hadn't found any lead in the past 2 days. Damian had been taking out his frustration on thugs who were in the area that night, but so far nobody had seen anything, nothing that would even hint at Tim's whereabouts. But at the same time, he couldn't get himself to go home.

Home reminded him of Tim's absence, and only worsened the feeling of not being able to help his second youngest brother.

_And the realisation that Tim might as well be dead at the moment._

* * *

August 1st, 2019. 01:36

"What did you say to Damian?" Was Bruce's immediate question the moment he walked back into the cave again. Dick frowns, stripping off his domino mask.

"The wrong thing." He muttered, walking over to the computer and seating himself. He let his fingers fly across the keyboard, eyes roaming the screen. So many thugs that could be scrapped of the list of possible witnesses or perhaps even suspects. Not like it really helped as there were hundreds, if not thousands of thugs to go by.

"He seemed pretty upset, more than usual." Bruce mused with a dark look. Dick sighs, turning around to look at his dad.

"I asked him if he would resort to killing to get Tim back after he said he'd do anything." Dick said softly, and Bruce groans.

"Dick.." Bruce draws out.

"I know Bruce." Dick groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I shouldn't have said it, I know that, I'm just so…" He stopped himself, not knowing what he even wanted to say. What was he feeling right now? He just knew that he wanted his little brother back, he wanted Tim safely at the manor, back in his arms again where he knew he was safe.

_Sad, frustrated, angry, helpless, guilty._

All different emotions swirled around in his head, and for a moment he mused if Damian felt like this every day, considering how bad he felt about his upbringing but had no way to change it. But he really didn't want to think about it right now, he just wanted to-

"Chum, I understand. It's okay." Bruce whispers, and Dick looks up, suddenly realising Bruce had now crouched down to his level. His dad carefully reached out, brushing his thumbs along his cheeks and catching the tears that were now freely streaming down his face.  _When had he started crying?_  Dick didn't even care anymore.

Without hesitation he flung himself at Bruce, arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Bruce made a sound, breath expelling from his lungs.

"Chum." Bruce said, but not as a way to discourage him. Bruce tightened his arms around him, bringing him closer. Dick let it all out, allowing his tears to stain the Batman uniform, the uniform he had so long worn when Bruce was gone, when they thought he was dead… when Dick thought his dad had died, again.

Dick could feel the uniform twist in his hands, as if he was afraid that Bruce would get away if he didn't hold him close enough. Sobs wracked through his body, and his heart ached.  _He wanted Timmy back, he wanted him back_.

And if he hadn't been crying himself, he would've noticed the way Bruce's body shook with sobs as well.

* * *

August 1st, 2019. 23:42

It wasn't even that cold, but the wind was harsh, causing him to shiver. Or at least, that's what he told himself. It was the wind that caused him to shiver, not the thought of his immediate older brother, and definitely not the thought that Tim, despite their efforts, might already be dead.

Damian scowled, shaking his head at the thought. He didn't  _want_  to think about it. He shouldn't care about Tim, he wasn't his brother, not truly. Not emotionally, not biologically or anything else. His mother taught him better than that but-

The current Robin stilled again, back going rigid at the thought.

_No_. Talia wasn't right, Talia was wrong. Grayson had said so, he had shown his mother was wrong all those years when she raised him. Allies weren't a liability, friends weren't a liability, and family sure wasn't a liability either. Grayson had saved him so many times, and so had his father. Tim was family..

.. _So why couldn't he accept that?_

His mind knew it, but his heart wasn't agreeing with him. His subconscious maybe, he truly didn't know. He knew his mother… he knew Talia was wrong, so why couldn't he hate her? And why couldn't he get rid of all the wrong he had done in his first 10 years, and all the wrong he was still doing today?

_You will never truly change_.

Damian growled low in his throat, the urge to  _move_  increasing every second. But he kept himself from moving the moment he heard a thud on the rooftop. It was too loud to be Grayson or father, which meant-

"I am not in the mood for games, Hood." Damian scowled, not looking up. Todd huffed behind him, standing beside the current Robin on the ledge.

"Neither am I, Demon." Todd shot back, and Damian glared up at him. His second oldest… brother didn't seem impressed, looking right down at him. He wasn't glaring, but the gaze screamed superiority, like he was better. And it was more effective than any glare would ever be on Damian.

The younger of the two huffed, turning his gaze back to the streets below him. Jason took it as an invitation to sit down, throwing his legs over the ledge and plopping down. There was still some distance between them, but closer than the two usually were. And yet, Damian couldn't get himself to care.

It felt  _safe_.

"Nightwing said you're mad at him." Jason spoke after a short silence. Damian frowns, but he didn't take his eyes off the streets.

"Of course he would, idiot." Damian muttered, and Jason wasn't sure if the last word was directed at him or Dick. But he guessed the latter, Damian was often much more vulgar with his insults towards him.

"And you know he didn't mean to." Jason shot back. This time, Damian did look up, but instead of the ridicule he expected to see on Jason's face, a gloating expression or something that indicated that he was making fun of Damian, he saw a sincere and even concerned expression.

"I am not that person anymore." Damian spoke softly. He tried to sound certain, strong, but his voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

"Shit, Goldie can see that, we all can." Jason muttered, not taking his eyes away from Robin. Almost as if he was afraid he would disappear the moment he did. He would never admit it out loud, but he felt bad for the kid, and despite what his mother and grandfather made him to be, he was a good person.

And Jason knew that his own suffering could never come close to his.

"They are still afraid of me." Damian huffs, drawing his legs closer to his chest. There was a scowl on his face, but there wasn't any anger behind it, it was a cover for the sadness he felt. And Jason understood how Damian felt, he too had been feared after he had been resurrected.

Heck, Bruce was still sceptical of him, even now that he murdered less. (I mean he still did, but that was a problem for another day).

"Kid you don't deserve this shit at all." Jason said. "You had no choice-"

"I liked it." Damian shot back, glaring at Jason.

"You didn't like it, you liked that you pleased your mother." Jason shot right back at him, not backing off when Damian's glare intensified. "You were brainwashed by that bitch, and I don't care-"

"She loves me."  _Oh for fuck sake, not this again_.

"I don't care if you don't see it, but all the shit you've done wasn't you, get that through your thick, stubborn skull." Jason finished firmly, tapping Damian's forehead with his finger. Damian scowled, slapping the hand away. But he didn't try to defend his mother, and Jason smirked at that.

"It is still my fault that Red Robin was taken." Damian eventually said, and Jason could just keep himself from groaning.  _Of course he would think that._

"For someone claiming to be smart you're stupid as fuck sometimes." Jason muttered, not caring about swearing in front of the kid. Hell, the kid could probably kill him in a thousand ways before he could blink, Bruce shouldn't give two shits about the language he used or heard.

"What are you alluding to?" Damian hisses.

"Red was out because he wanted to, and would've been in that exact same area with or without you being there." Jason explained, and Damian frowns at the sentence. "Just don't shut Nightwing out, he doesn't want to lose you too." Jason said, surprising even himself with the advice.

He wasn't usually the emotional one. But Damian didn't often show he was uncertain, and here they were.

"He will not lose me." Damian said slowly, not because he was unsure, but because he didn't understand. He wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't mean physically." Jason muttered vaguely, but he knew Damian understood what he was trying to say. "He doesn't want you to be what your mom made you to be. You're better than that..-" Jason stopped himself, refraining himself from calling her any names again.

"Listen kid, he loves you, everyone can see that." Jason continued with a deep breath. "And he'll never stop loving you, he never gave up on me either. Heck, but that doesn't mean he doesn't give a shit about me killing everyone, or going after the Joker."

"But you still want to kill him." Damian shot back, and Jason snorts.

"Besides the point Demon." Jason rolled his eyes behind his mask. Damian chews on his lip slightly before glancing down at the alley again.

"I don't want him to hate me." Damian says, turning his face towards Jason. The latter was about to open his mouth, when suddenly another  _thud_  sounded behind them. Softer than Jason's, so that would mean..

"Aw little D-" Dick coed behind him, but it lacked his usual enthusiasm, there was a sort of hesitance behind the voice. Damian whirls around, scowling at the sight of his oldest brother. Dick smiled as well, walking over to the edge and squeezing himself in between his two brothers.

"Jason is right little brother, I could never hate you." He adds softly, so the others wouldn't be able to hear it.

"And yet you hate what I am." Damian retorts, face scrunching up. Dick's gaze softens, slinging an arm around his little brother's shoulder. Damian allows him to be pulled into a firm sideways hug, but he didn't initiate anything further.

"I hate that you were forced to become something you're clearly not." Dick whispers into Damian's ear, pressing him even closer. "You're not a weapon, you're not a killer. You've proven that to me so many times."

"You are scared that I will become  _that_  again." Damian shoots back, of course he wasn't ready to give up now, of course he didn't want to believe Dick.

"I'm scared to lose you, Dami." Dick murmurs. "I'm scared that the League will try to take you away from me, from us, and I'm scared that they did too much damage. But that is not your fault. I could never hate you, either of you." Dick finishes, turning to Jason and bringing him close as well.

And Jason strangely enough let him. Dick smiled slightly at the display.

"I-" Damian started, and Dick cranes his neck to look at him. "I do not wish to lose you either, you are the most tolerable person." Jason snorts at the sentence, but Dick can only smile widely at the confession. He knew his little brother, and he knew what he wanted to say to him, even if he would maybe never say it out loud.

_He loved him_.

"Now get off me, and let's find Drake." Damian muttered.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! *hug*


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the feedback!
> 
> As for this chapter… all I can say is read to the end xD Enjoy!

 

August 3rd, 2019. 23:11

They all just… stared. Shock written on all their faces, and neither of them able to utter a single word. How could they? How could anyone even possibly describe what they had just witnessed? Tears were streaming down Dick's face, and tears were burning in Bruce's eyes but he didn't dare to let them fall.

He had to be strong for his family, and yet, he couldn't get himself to turn around.

He couldn't get himself to turn away to face his family. Dick.. Dick who already lost so many people in his life, too many people. Jason who pretended to be strong, and pretended that he didn't care, but actually cared too much for his own good. Alfred.. who loved all the boys despite their flaws, who loved him despite his flaws.

And Damian… he finally turned around, biting back the tears, but his youngest son wasn't as successful as he was. He could see his son digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands, and his arms twitching as if he wanted to hurt someone,  _hurt himself_.

"Damian-" Dick was the one to eventually speak up, but the youngest snapped his attention to his oldest brother, staring at him with wide eyes before taking a step back, and another one. "Dami!" Dick called out, but Damian was already gone before he could reach out, sprinting out of the cave.

"Leave him be." Alfred spoke softly, barely keeping the tears at bay himself. Bruce swallowed thickly, reluctantly looking back to the screen again, where his second youngest son was just murdered on.

*

*

*

August 3rd, 2019. 10:52.  _That morning_.

"Morning Alfie." Dick muttered groggy, sitting down at the table. "Morning Dami." He adds softly. Damian huffs, ignoring him with a scowl on his face. Dick doesn't comment on it, watching Alfred walk over to him.

"Good morning to you Master Dick." Alfred comments, putting down a plate of breakfast and a cup of coffee in front of the former Robin. Dick smiles slightly.

"You're a lifesaver Al." Dick says, and Alfred had known Dick long enough not to comment on it.

"I suspect patrol was no success last night, I did not wait up as it was getting rather late." Alfred said, but Dick waved him off.

"That's okay, we stayed out really late." Dick shrugs. "We thought we had a lead on Tim, but it turned out to be a dead end." Dick mutters. Damian scowls besides him, but doesn't open his mouth to say something. It had been a long night for sure, and they had stayed out well after sunrise.

But it wasn't just last night, it was the last few days that was taken a toll on all the family members. They had done nothing but search for clues and sleep. Alfred was the only one that kept reminding them to eat and not exhaust themselves completely, because they absolutely would otherwise.

"You will find Master Timothy, I am sure of it." There was a loud  _cling_  from Dick's side, and Dick snapped his head towards side, but Damian had already slid off his seat. Before either of them could say anything, Damian had disappeared from the room, storming towards the stairs.

Dick sighs, turning back to his plate again.

"Dear..-" Alfred commented, and Dick glances up with a lost expression.

"I don't know what to do Alfie, he's been so irritable lately, or is that just me?"

"I have certainly noticed a change in Master Damian, he is more aggravated as he usually is." Alfred says sadly, and Dick nods.

"I thought he was okay after our talk, but there's clearly something wrong." Dick mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think it's just his guilt, we already talked about that."

"You know how stubborn Master Damian can be." Alfred says, and Dick snorts.

"I'm well aware." Dick huffs, a small smile on his face before it quickly disappeared. "I just don't know what to do Alfred, Tim's gone, Jason is going on a rampage and I can't stop him, and I'm getting really worried." Dick mutters, looking then.

"Then talk to him Master Dick." Alfred says, and Dick glances up at him. "It is not difficult to see how much the boy looks up at you, he will open up to you." The butler finishes and Dick frowns slightly. There was a short silence, before Dick nods slowly, standing up.

"You're right, as always." Dick chuckles, and Alfred gives his oldest grandson a warm smile.

"I always am, now get going." Alfred says, waving him off. Dick grins, following the advice and going after Damian. Despite all the years of his training, and what he claimed, the youngest of the family was predictable, and Dick knew he would've fled to his room, so that's where he would go right now.

His blue eyes trailed over to Tim's door, usually slightly ajar at this moment, but now firmly shut. And it only served as another punch to the gut.  _We will get you back Timmy, I promise_.

Dick quietly made his way over to Damian's door, carefully pushing it open and looking into the room. His youngest brother was sitting on the ground, Alfred the cat curled up around him. Damian was absently scratching the cat's head, but his eyes were focused on the window.

"Does he know?" Damian was the first one to speak up, and Dick was startled slightly. Not because he thought Damian didn't know he was there, because of course he did, but because he hadn't thought that Damian would be the first one to speak up, usually it was the other way around.

Dick frowns at the question, closing the door and walking over to Damian, stopping in front of him and kneeling.

"Does who know?" He asks, and Damian whirls around, revealing a tear stained face.

"Does Drake know I don't hate him?" Damian bites out, another tear trailing down his face. Dick can feel his heart break at the admission, staring at Damian's eyes. Often so full with anger, now filled with unspeakable sadness.

"Dami-"

"I never told him." Damian interrupts with a glare, sniffling. Dick smiles sadly.

"He never told you either, little D." Dick comments, carefully sitting down but Damian shoots him another glare. Not like Dick would ever believe his little brother was truly angry at him. Angry at himself probably, but also mostly sad.

"He did not love me." Damian retorts, and Dick frowns.  _Did he truly not know…?_ Dick shook his head mentally.  _Of course he didn't know. That boy doubted that someone loved him even if that person said it every day._ Of course he wouldn't know Tim loved him if he never said it.

"He did Damian, he loves you."

"I tried to kill him." Damian huffs, crossing his arms. "Multiple times." He adds softly, looking away.

"We're a weird family." Dick chuckles, but the glare Damian sent him told him that Damian didn't appreciate the joke. "Tim knows you changed, and even if you two constantly bicker. He loves you, he told me himself." Dick tells his youngest brother, who slowly turned his head back to Dick.

There was doubt in his green eyes, something that seemed to foreign for Damian but actually wasn't. You just had to look for the signs, and know he would hide it with anger, which hadn't worked as well lately as it had before.

"How can he love… me?" Damian asks, nose scrunching up slightly. It was almost adorable, and Dick would've coed any other moment, but not now. Not when his little brother was still so obviously feeling guilty about everything, and not when his other little brother was off somewhere.

"Just like I can, Dami." Dick whispers, finally giving in and wrapping his arms around the current Robin. He waited for just a second, but Damian didn't fight back, so he crushed him against his chest. "Beneath all that anger you're caring, you're compassionate, and you want a place somewhere."

Damian frowns, opening his mouth to say something but Dick beat him to it.

"I know you don't want to admit how badly you want somewhere to belong, but we can all see it Dami. And you deserve that, you deserve everything you want because that person we met over a year ago, that wasn't you. You showed how good you can be, you have showed me the real Damian. And we all love him." Dick finishes, squeezing Damian slightly.

The younger boy is silent for a moment, before he squirms in the hold until he could look at his older brother.

"Did Timothy feel the same way?" Damian whispers.

"Tim knows what's it's like to not fit in, or be loved unconditionally, you two are quite similar in a way. He wants to get to know you, but you don't allow him." There wasn't an accusation in Dick's voice, just a statement. That's why Damian always liked Dick, he never held him responsible for the things he couldn't control, and he never seemed to judge him.

_Unconditional love_.

"So it is my fault." Damian mutters, and Dick frowns, shaking his head.

"No it isn't." Dick says, tipping Damian's chin up. "Sometimes I wish you would get along, actually I always do, but I know you're trying, and Tim knows that as well. But he has his own problems as well, and while he's ready to let you in, wants you to let him in,  _he_ is also afraid of letting people in."

"Why?"

"Because of his own parents. They neglected him most of his life." Dick explains, and Damian wanted to nod, but he had to be honest to himself; he never knew. "He's afraid to let people in to avoid getting hurt again."

"I never-" Damian whispers, shaking his head. "I don't want to hurt him."  _Not anymore_.  _I'm not that person anymore_.

"I know little brother." Dick squeezes Dick again. "And you can tell him once we find him, okay?" Damian just nodded, not trusting his voice.

*

*

*

August 3rd, 2019. 23:01

"Bruce!" Dick hollered, panic seeping in his voice. Everyone immediately snapped their heads towards the first Robin. Bruce understood Dick's scream for help, rushing over to the computer. Dick was already from his seat, allowing Bruce to sit down. The entire screen was red, a crimson red.

With the name 'Bruce' written on it.

"What the fuck?" Jason cursed, and Alfred was too shocked himself to react either. Damian shuffled towards the screen, eyes focused on the screen. Bruce frowned, starting to type. Nothing showed up on the screen, nothing Bruce did seemed to work.

"How about-" Dick started but just as he opened his mouth, the screen changed, a room coming into focus. There wasn't something unusual about the room, it was a normal room, warehouse rather. There were a few boxes, some crates but they were all pushed to the side, making room in the middle.

It was then that someone was suddenly thrown into the frame.

"Tim!" Bruce shouted, eyes wide with panic.  _Familiar, all too familiar_. He was wearing his Robin uniform, and his arms were shackled together behind his back with handcuffs.  _Like Jason had_. But that wasn't the worst thing.

"It seems like I caught a different bird." The Joker cackled, finally coming into frame as well. He was carrying Tim's staff, and Bruce immediately noticed how it was splayed with bright red. Tim coughed, groaning and curling up into himself as much as he could with his hands still immobilised.

His suit was filled with tears, all seeping blood. HIs face was a mess, and his mask had already been removed.

"Now let's see how much you can take." Joker laughed. "What hurts more-?" Jason froze completely, face draining of all colour at the sentence. He could only hear the faint screams of pain from his immediate younger brother. Blood was rushing through his ears at the familiar sound of weapon hitting flesh.

"Argh!" Tim cried out, snapping Jason back into reality.

"You know birdie, I always wondered about this." Joker spoke, crouching down. Tim muttered something under his breath, sending a glare towards the man. "Not that face, I'm just a fan of your nest." Joker smiled, but Tim just kept glaring at the man above him.

He looked young, younger than he usually looked. Almost as if he had reversed in age. But seeing him in his Red Robin costume, without a mask and so vulnerable.. it broke all of their hearts.

"I was wondering-" The man continues, a smile appearing on his face. "Did Nightbird break his staff in half, or did you put his weapons together." Dick scowled at the question, glaring at the screen even if he knew it was no use. The cackles again, before a sour look comes over him.

"Now you don't have to be so rude, I was just wondering." He almost pouted, but a grin quickly replaced his pout. "Oh I remember having so much fun with the previous Robin, he was really fun to be around." He continues, and just like Jason had done, Tim spit in the Joker's face.

Jason shivered at the parallels, and for a moment it wasn't Tim laying there, it was him.

"Just as feisty." Joker let's out a menacing laugh, not even bothering to wipe off the blood from his face. "But not as fun." Joker murmured, standing up again. He twirled the staff in his hand slightly, clearly not familiar with the weapon before he put on a serious face.

Bruce's eyes widened, knowing what was coming before the Joker even moved. His eyes widened, mouth opening but no sound came out. The staff lifted, and without hesitance, the staff hit Tim's head, snapping it to the sound. Bones breaking, and Tim's body fell to the ground, eyes open..  _lifeless_.

"TIM!" Dick cried out, but he didn't dare to move. He couldn't be.. he couldn't be. Joker dropped the staff, walking over to Tim.

"Oh dear, who would do this?" Joker said in a serious voice but cackling softly. He put his hand against Tim's throat, a smile on his face before it slowly changed. He furrowed his brow, a dark look on his face. "Now that is no fun." He huffs, standing up.

"Kids these days, they die so easily." Was the last sentence Joker uttered before the feed was cut.

_But the image of Tim's lifeless body would forever haunt them_.

*

*

*

August 3rd, 2019. 23:29

"Thank you." Dick croaks, accepting the cup of tea Alfred handed him. Alfred just nodded, sitting down next to the original Robin with a sad look on his face. He didn't dare shed tears right now, but he wasn't fooling anyone right now. They all knew he was shaken about Tim, they all were.

Dick wrapped his hands around the cup, relinquishing in the warmth it brought him. As if it was the only thing that would manage to warm him up right now. He didn't even  _want_  to believe it. He knew this life was dangerous, he knew that there were risks. And he had always been willing to take those risks, he was willing to die.

But he wasn't ready to let people go.

"I just can't believe it." Dick murmured. Alfred sighs next to him.

"I cannot either." He offers, and Dick takes a shaky sip from the cup. It tasted like it always did, but somehow it also tasted  _wrong_. Dick's head snapped up when a crash sounded from somewhere in the house.

"Did you hear that?" He asks, but Alfred seemed just as lost as he was right now.

But they didn't need to wait long for the answer, as Jason stormed back down, a panicked expression on his face.

"Demon spawn is gone, he just fucking left through the window and his suit is missing too." Jason quickly shouted. "God fucking damnit, I should've fucking predicted this. Of course the little shit-"

"Jason!" Dick snapped, immediately walking over to his younger brother. Jason stopped, glaring at Dick.

"We need to find him, he's gonna do something stupid, I fucking know it."

"Then let's go." Dick affirmed, not waiting for a confirmation and already heading towards the cave. They quickly descended down, almost colliding with Bruce in their haste.

"Bruce he's gone!" Bruce frowned slightly, heart jumping at the scared tone of his oldest son. "Damian left."

Bruce cursed under his breath.

"We need to go after him, he's gonna get himself killed avenging Tim." Jason snapped. "And we need to go now." Jason added, but Bruce shook his head.

"Tim isn't dead." Bruce spoke, and Dick's eyes widened.

"What?" He exclaims. "But.. but we saw him get killed!" Bruce shook his head again.

"The video was fake, that wasn't really Tim." He says, gesturing for his sons to follow him. His youngest son was still screaming at him in his mind it seemed like, but right now, this was more important. He couldn't allow his sons to go out with the false knowledge that their other brother had just been murdered.

It was the entire reason why Damian had just run away. He  _needed_  to say this first. Bruce quickly put up the video again, and both Jason and Dick winced at the image.

"Look at his suit." Bruce commented, and Jason narrowed his eyes, glancing at the uniform. But Dick was the first one to spot it.

"His belt." He whispers, whirling around to look at Bruce. "He changed his suit 2 weeks ago, added another compartment but it isn't there." Bruce nods solemnly, clicking something again.

"I ran facial recognition and while it did come up positive, the results were wrong." He said, and both sons glanced at the screen.

"No fucking way." Jason cursed, glancing at the age.  _13 years old_. It read. "Tim's 16." Jason growled, and Bruce nods.

"It's not him, it's a clone. Whoever cloned him wanted us to believe Tim was dead."

"And the Joker certainly didn't clone Tim." Jason growled, but Dick just stared, information slowly sinking in. Damian had gone out, run away out of cold and regret thinking Tim was dead. Dick's breath hitched. His little brother was on a rampage, not thinking clearly and putting himself in danger for whoever wanted him to believe Tim was dead and…

Dick's eyes widened.

"Tim's alive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, who actually thought Tim was dead? :3


	4. Chapter 4

August 3rd, 2019. 23:36

He ran. That's all he knew right now. Running, jumping, running, jumping. It was all he allowed himself to feel, not  _wanting_  to think about the rest. His fault.. it was all his fault. He scared Tim off, he was the reason Tim was in that area in the first place, so that meant it was his fault right?

Wind whipped around him, through his hair, cape behind him fluttering with every jump. He allowed it to wipe away all the thoughts, and yet, it didn't help. He gritted his teeth, jumping from a building and firing his grappling hook, pulling him onto the next building again. He landed without much problem.

And again, the image of Drake entered his mind, not smiling, or the genuine smile he sometimes had on his face, more often with his team. Not the face of worry he so poorly tried to hide. No, a crying face, filled with rivers of blood streaming down his face, the joker beating him.

Again, and again, and-

"Argh!" Damian screamed, rolling over the ground and punching the wall next to him. He gritted his teeth, body shaking from anger as he shakily removed his first from the wall. Pain shot through the limb, travelling all the way to his shoulder. He took a deep, but shaky, breath to calm himself.

Then he slowly brought his hand to his chest, cradling it close. His hand shook slightly, and he wrapped the other around it carefully to stop it, but he couldn't completely. His entire body was itching to hit something. He just wanted something to take his mind off Drake, distract himself from this stupid guilt.

He didn't understand it, family was a liability, Drake was incompetent, it was his own fault for getting captured, for getting killed.  _And yet it was his_. Damian shook his head forcefully, feeling tears burn behind his eyes. But he didn't allow himself to-

His head snapped to the side, body whirling around not a second later. And he was just quick enough to avoid something thrown his way. His eyes widen for a second before he narrows them in realisation what was happening.

"Show yourself cowards!" Damian growled, wishing he had brought his sword with him right now. He raised his arms, but before he could move, something suddenly entered his neck. He cried out, hand going to the dart that was now sticking out of neck, ripping it out without a second thought.

Two figures dropped to the ground, one holding a blowgun, and the other with a disappointed look.

"I expected better of you." Was the only thing the person said. Damian's vision blurred, narrowing his eyes as another figure walked up to him. He let out another cry jumping at the person. He felt hands reach up to grab him, but he ducked under them, rolling until he was behind the person before delivering a kick to the knees.

He frowned slightly, the kick weaker than he was used to but the man still crashed down.

"You fight without-" Damian started, but before he could finish the sentence, he felt something struck his head. His vision exploded in stars, and his head swirled with a sharp pain. He felt himself falling and hitting the ground before he could fully comprehend what was happening.

His head clattered onto the ground, and he felt his own eyes roll into the back of his head.

"ROBIN!" He could hear someone yell, a desperate scream.  _Grayson_. Then, a yell of pain, metal clashing with metal.

"Take them both."  _The_ voice said, the last thing he heard before everything went black.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 00:23

There was a persistent pounding in his head, and he scrunched up his nose against the pain. He could still feel his domino mask firmly planted across his face, the spirit gum sticking almost uncomfortably. But he knew deep down that that wasn't his biggest concern right now.

He shifted slightly, limbs protesting by sending pins and needles through them. He could feel his arms tied behind his back, something cold wrapped around his wrists.  _Cuffs_ , he quickly realised, which did nothing to reassure him. Not like he expected it to. He had learned better since he could remember.

He shifts again, suppressing a whimper that was threatening to come out. As the pins and needles slowly disappeared, pain made itself known. An ache in his arm, and a splitting headache coming from one obvious source, the wound on his forehead.

"Well if you weren't moving I'd say you're dead." Someone cackled, and Damian snaps his eyes open. "Would you look at that, you're really not dead." Joker exclaims with a splitting grin on his face, leaning in close. Damian narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Joker. The man keeps staring, and Damian was vaguely aware of what he had in his hands.

Then, the grin slowly disappeared, and a bored look crossed the clown's features.

"Oh well, one down, one to go am I right?" Joker cackles, standing up again. Damian frowns, feeling cold wash over him, as if someone had exposed him to liquid nitrogen, at the sudden memory.  _Grayson_  screaming, Grayson being near him, and the voice ordering to take them both.

"Wake up birdie." Joker murmured, and Damian cranes his neck, eyes widening the moment they landed on Grayson's still body. His hands were also pulled behind his back but his mask had been torn off, sea blue eyes firmly shut.  _Unconscious_.

"Don't touch him." Damian snaps, body convulsing, that was the only word he could find to describe it, as he tried to wiggle himself out of the bonds. But someone had taken his belt, and all the hidden lock picks and weapons under his armor. No, it was worse, they hadn't just taken that.

They had taken the majority of his uniform.

He could feel the cold hit his bare feet, making him shiver. His cape was gone too, just like the belt, gloves and his red shirt. Leaving him in only the black tights and undershirt he wore. But it did nothing to protect him from the cold, and certainly wasn't helping his odds of escaping on his own.

"Now now, don't interrupt me. Daddy is doing important work here." Joker called out, and Damian growled before Joker grinned. "I've always wanted to say that." Another snicker, and Damian felt sick to the stomach at the madman's words.

"Release me you psycho!" Damian screamed, but Joker didn't seem too bothered.

"I am waking up your brother, will you be quiet." Joker frowned, before a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "Or is he your father?" His eyes seemed to roam back to Grayson's still unconscious form, and then back to Damian.

"Eh what do I care?" Joker shrugged, raising his crowbar and striking down,  _hard_.

"NO!" Damian screamed, but to his horror Grayson didn't do as much as twitch, face pinching with pain.

"Huh, I really thought that'd work." Joker commented, delivering another blow. Damian could only stare as the Joker delivered blow after blow to his brother's body. He was numb, that's the only way he could describe the feeling, just numbness. He couldn't get himself to cry, couldn't get himself to scream.

And he couldn't get himself to look away.

Then, a small groan from Grayson and the Joker immediately stopped, raising an eyebrow. Blood splattered his crowbar, it already had before he started beating Grayson. So that must be the same weapon he used to beat….

A soft cry of pain left Grayson's mouth, squirming ever so slightly but his body didn't seem to  _want_ to move. Blood was filling his mouth, and whatever he murmured fell to deaf ears.

"Hold on-" Joker commented, staring at his crowbar. "Now this feels really familiar. Did we already do this?" But it was clear he didn't mean it because the next moment he was laughing again, hitting Grayson in the head again. Blood splattered onto the ground, and Grayson collapsed.

He murmured something, and again, Damian couldn't hear what his brother was trying to say, or what he was trying to tell him.

"It seems like he's having a nightmare." Joker comments, and Damian shivers at the sudden serious tone. "I know the perfect medicine for that, don't worry birdie, you'll be sleeping soundly within seconds."

"NO!" Damian suddenly found his voice again, the implication all too clear. "No, don't you dare! Get away from him!" Damian raged, but Joker didn't even seem to hear him, dropping the crowbar and walking over to Grayson's body. His hand found Grayson's head, slowly carting his fingers through it.

Damian felt like throwing up, reminded of all the times Grayson used to do this to him. After a nightmare, or just when Damian was feeling bad. Or even when his older brother felt bad. That sicko had no right to do this, it was  _his_ thing,  _their_ thing.

"I will kill you!" Damian seethed, letting out a loud yell. Joker's hands moved to grab Grayson's head. "Keep your filthy hands off him, I will kill you, Joker! Don't touch-"

CRACK.

_Silence._

Grayson's body fell to the ground, blank eyes staring at him and neck twisted almost 180 degrees. Damian's mouth snapped shut, eyes widening. He couldn't seem to find the words, the control over his own body to move, to do speak, to do anything. All movements, what little there was, seemed involuntary.

The eyes seemed to look directly at him, almost as if they were screaming at him.

 _Your fault, why didn't you save me? You were supposed to protect me, you were, you are my Robin. You're supposed to look after Batman_.

YOUR FAULT.

*

*

*

"Will you stop your fucking pacing?" Jason snapped, and Alfred eyed at him sharply. But Jason just glared at his brother instead, not bothering to reply to the butler this time. He knew damn well what he wanted to say, but he wasn't in the mood to be reminded of his language, thank you very much.

Dick stopped instantly, but instead of matching the glare, his face was filled with desperation.

"What else am I supposed to do? Tim got kidnapped, and now Dami-" Dick stops himself, turning around again. His hands reached for his scalp, clawing at the strands of his hair. Jason set his jaw, instead opting to turn his glare towards the ground.

Both Dick and Jason were still in their Nightwing and Red Hood uniform respectively, but they had already been home for hours.

"I almost had him Jay, he was right there, and they took him." Dick murmured, glancing at his immediate younger brother again. Jason swallowed thickly, glancing at the tears lingering in Dick's eyes. He wanted to pretend he didn't care, he didn't  _want_ to care about any of them going missing right now.

But he did, he did care, and he cared too much.

"We hope that B has more luck." Jason almost hisses, hands tightening around his arms to the point it was leaving marks, but he couldn't care less. Those were  _his_  little brothers out there, and no one had the right to kidnap them. Only  _he_  could.

"I mean, they won't kill them right? Why go through the trouble of pretending to kill Tim and then kill him again?" Jason just stared at his older brother ramble. The look in his sea blue eyes only served as a blow to Jason's gut. The usual cheery eyes, filled with that vibrant spark, was gone.

Those eyes were filled with loss and desperation. And any rational part that his persona of Nightwing gave him, a mask to hide behind both literally and figuratively, was gone right now. And neither was it coming back any time soon, he wasn't the levelheaded team leader, he was a worried brother.

A brother who had no idea how to get his little brothers back.

"We will find him, Dick." Jason muttered, pushing down the same panic that Dick was now freely displaying. He wasn't like his older brother, he wasn't as carefree and open like him. And he both hated and admired him for that. To still be so trusting, and so happy after everything he had seen.

"I can't… I can't lose them Jason." Dick whispers, tears appearing in his eyes. "I can't lose two people I care about.. not again." Jason recoiled at the sentence, immediately knowing what Dick was talking about, and Jason didn't like the fact that Dick thought of  _them_  right now.

 _His parents_.

It was something Dick struggled with a lot, the fear of losing the people he cared about. Of course everyone in the superhero community had that fear, everyone who realistically knew what being a hero entailed knew that they could also lose people on duty. Being a hero was a dangerous job.

They already lost so many people, Dick his parents, Jason's parents, in more ways than one, Tim's parents. Damian didn't even lose his parents, but Jason had no idea if his situation was any better than theirs. And these weren't even heroes.

Tula, Ted Kord… and Jason himself. He had been the victim of being a superhero as well. Something he  _didn't_  want to remember really.

"You ain't leaving them Dick, we're gonna find them." Jason denied, not allowing his voice to waver, or to allow the doubt to shine through. Jason hesitantly reached out, putting a hand on Dick's shoulder, but the latter wasn't letting him, instead wrapping his arms fully around the second Robin.

Jason grumbled, definitely didn't  _squeak_  in surprise, he should've expected it after all. But he didn't make a move to get out of the hug. It was no surprise Dick needed the physical reassurance, he had always thrived on the contact. Hugs, cuddles, even something as simple as a hand on the shoulder.

Dick burst into tears on his shoulder, and Jason could feel his arms tighten around him. Jason bit back his own tears, swallowing thickly. "We will find them." Jason repeated, willing his words to become reality if he said it enough. Dick nodded against his shoulder, but didn't reveal his face.

"Boys?" A new voice suddenly cut through the silence, and both Jason and Dick immediately whipped their heads around. The question was hesitant, and Bruce's face was filled with worry. Not only because of his two youngest sons, but also what had just happened with his two oldest.

Dick sniffles, wiping away the tears from his face.

"Did you find them?" Bruce heart almost shattered instantly at the broken tone in his voice, the desperate need for good news… good news that Bruce didn't have at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to give it to his oldest son, to all of them. He wanted nothing more than to know where they were.

And rescue them the moment he did.

Bruce sighs, shaking his head. Dick's face almost immediately crumbled, but he didn't cry again. He did keep a hand on Jason, and the younger yet taller boy let him. It was a way to anchor himself to this world, and to not let his loss and anger take over. He needed to be there for his family.

He owed it to his little brothers.

"But I did find out who took them." Bruce adds after a silent second. Dick stared at him hopefully, and even Jason couldn't hide the slight relief he felt, but he didn't allow himself to hope just yet. Because Bruce's face should've been filled with the same hopeful look that Dick had on his face.

Regardless of the fact that Bruce often hid his emotions more. Jason could still read him like a book most often. But right now his face was filled with worry, and anguish, which meant that whoever took them..

"You were right to say that the Joker couldn't have done this on his own." Bruce sighs, glancing at his two sons. "But you're not going to like who helped him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little harder for me as I dived more into the characterisation of Dick and Jason. I'm not too familiar with writing either, and I take most of it from writing TMNT, as Raph is very similar to Jason I feel like. And Dick is somewhat like Leo, but more carefree. But if something is really out of character, please tell me so I can improve on that. (But be kind please, I'm still learning :3)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to everyone who commented/reviewed! You guys are the best! *hug*

 

She entered his life when he was almost 2 years old, but for him she had been there all her life. The moment he could remember things, she had been there, helping him walk, helping him speak all the languages his mom wanted him to know, and caring for him when his mother couldn't.

She was different from all the other tutors he had. They were all male, she was the only female that cared for him. But her teachings didn't include fighting, or survival skills, they were social skills that his mother also found necessary.

"Gytha?" Damian asks softly, bright green eyes staring at the woman.

" _What is wrong?_ " Gytha asks equally as soft, an almost revolting contrast to how his other tutors spoke to him. But her voice wasn't harsh, or void of any emotion but anger. Her voice was soft, caring. Her mother tongue was Urdu, but she spoke Arabish equally as well, one of the reasons mother hired her.

" _Where did you grow up?"_ Damian asks in perfect Arabish. He glances at the book beneath him, stories about Pakistan in Urdu, to learn the language and improve his reading skills. Gytha would never agree with the methods, or the amount of languages the mother pushed onto this boy.

He was already expected to know Arabish and Chinese, and was now busy learning Urdu as well.

He was barely a toddler for crying out loud.

Gytha glances at the guards standing by, voice twisting slightly.  _"That is not relevant to you Hafid, I am a mere servant."_ She spoke, but the guard didn't move a muscle. Damian scrunches up his nose slightly. " _Continue reading, or are you not able to?"_ Gytha felt her stomach turn slightly at the implication.

A look of fear immediately crossed Damian's features. He knew what failure meant,  _and he should have been way too young to know_.

" _I understand perfectly."_ He ground out, the words in Urdu. His accent was there, but the words flowed out of his mouth almost like a second nature. Gytha felt her stomach turn again at the familiar tongue, a language she hadn't heard in so long. She pushed it down, staying at Damian's side until his mother excused them both.

They both walked silently until they reached Damian's quarters. Damian allowed Gytha to open the door, walking inside. The servant immediately helped Damian get ready for bed, grabbing his nightgown and preparing his bed. She glances at the closed door one more time before walking over to the bed herself.

Damian glances at her almost warily, but Gytha smiled, easing his fears slightly.

"I grew up in Marala Village, in Pakistan." Gytha starts, and Damian looks at her in confusion as she sat down on the bed. "Close your eyes." She said, and Damian obliged, trusting her.

"It was a beautiful village, filled with endless wheat fields and a plethora of sunflowers." She smiled gently, and Damian could feel something tugging at his lips as well. "It was far away from big buildings, and the sky was filled with clouds during the day, a bright red that illuminated the entire sky when the sun set"

Damian could see it in his head. Fields filled with sunflowers, he knew what they were even if he had never seen them, with a bright red sky that he sometimes also saw in his home.

"The village is filled with farmers, and so was my dad. In the morning, the peak of dawn, they would start their day on the farms. You could hear birds singing all around you, an endless song of happiness and joy." She hadn't even noticed she had switched to Urdu, but Damian didn't seem to have much problems following her.

"You miss it." He says, and again, his tongue twisted a bit awkwardly at the foreign language. He cocks his head to the side, and Gytha can't help it, she nods. "Why did you leave?" He reverted back to Arabish again, and Gytha couldn't blame him for that.

"Because I was asked to teach you, it was an opportunity I wanted to take."  _I was kidnapped, my family killed, and they would kill me if I didn't teach you_ ; that is what she wanted to say. But she knew she could never do that. She didn't want to die, even if she had nothing to live for at the moment.

"Can you tell about your family, your father?" He asks, and Gytha stares at the question. It was no secret to her that Damian's father wasn't in the picture, or that Talia knew very well who he was. Damian and her just both didn't know, and neither did any of the servants as far as she knew, it was a well-kept secret she wasn't about to uncover.

Or even try to.

There was a silence, where Gytha didn't know what to say, busy trying to push her tears back at the thought. She missed them, she missed them so much. But she knew the League didn't have everyone, they didn't take away everyone she cared about. So she wanted to focus on getting back to them.

A sharp knock suddenly entered the room, and the door opened, revealing Talia.

"Gytha, a word." She almost sneered, and Gytha paled, turning to Damian with a fake smile on her face, but by the looks of it, he didn't buy it. She sighs, tugging the blanket higher and standing up. "Goodnight Hafid." Talia spoke as Gytha walked past her, closing the door after she did.

"I did not mean to-"

"Don't you ever implant those ridiculous stories in my son's head." Talia snapped. "I gave you instructions and I don't want you to deviate from those. I better not see you do that again." She finished, walking away before Gytha could respond.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 00:46

_Clang._

Damian cried out, feeling the staff connect with his face harshly. The skin around his eyebrow ruptured, and blood pooled down his face. Joker chuckled above him, gripping the weapon a little tighter.

"We dig dig dig." Joker taunted, hitting Damian again. The current Boy Wonder gritted his teeth. "Dig dig in our mine the whole day through."  _Cling_. A rush of air escapes the boy's lungs. It hurt, but it wasn't something he  _couldn't_  handle. He spit out a glob of blood, glaring up at the Joker.

The clown halted his attack for a second, raising an eyebrow before shrugging.

"To dig dig dig is what we really like to do." Joke continued to sing and Damian felt sick to the stomach. Because Grayson had shown him that movie, not even a month ago. Ironically they had both gone down with the same illness, and Grayson, as the idiot he was, called for a movie night.

It had been just the two of them, Pennyworth retiring early and Drake was with his own team. His father was on a mission with Todd, and would not be home for a few days. But Damian hadn't minded, it reminded him of the old days when it had been just the two of them, when Jason was still not willing to come close to the manor.

And when Tim had set out to make a name for himself, and spent more time with the team.

"It ain't no trick to get rich quick."

_Clang_.

They had sat down, wrapped themselves in blankets. And for once, Damian hadn't complained. His fever had been significantly higher than Grayson's, and he felt no need to put up the usual facade. For once, he allowed his brother to comfort him without any complaints. Just this once.

"If you dig… dig… dig, with a shovel or a pick-"  _Cling, cling, cling_. Every hit empathised by the same words, the Joker taunting him.

It hadn't actually been the first movie they had played. The first one had been Lilo and Stitch. Damian didn't care much for the movie itself, he just cared about the sense of safety he felt as Grayson cradled him close, and allowed him to lay his head on his shoulder. The way his mother never did.

"In a mine, in a mine." A distinct crack echoed from within his chest. "Where a million diamonds shine." He was ruining everything he touched. He had ruined their lives when he had killed Todd, he had ruined their lives when he stood between Todd and his father's no-killing rule.

And now he had ruined one of Damian's favourite moments.

"Now hold up." Joker commented, and Damian dragged his eyes over to the clown, wishing he could just stay in his memory. "Does that make you the rock or the diamonds?" There was a genuine curious look on his face before a grin formed.

"Go to… hell." Damian panted, cringing as pain laces up his spine.

"I suppose we have to find out-"  _Clang_ , Damian's head snapped to the side, hitting the ground hard. "by applying enough pressure."

*

*

*

"You asked for me?" Gytha asks softly, glancing at Talia with a face void of any emotion, or as much as she managed to do that. Her abaya suddenly felt like a death sentence around her, only reminding her of her position more and more, and not as a form of comfort anymore like it did at the beginning.

"I did." Talia acknowledges, allowing Gytha to come in. She did so, shutting the door behind her and standing still. It had been close to 2 years now since she got here, and knew what was expected of her without even thinking about it. She felt her heartbeat harshly against her chest at the thought.

_Two years from home._

"I need you to do something very important for me." Talia said, not actually looking at her.

"Anything for you, Lady Talia." Gytha whispered, and for the first time Talia did look at her. Green eyes stern and almost as if they were piercing her. Seeing everything that she wanted to know.

"I do not know if you thought to have the ability to keep things from me." Talia sighs, turning away again and walking over to a closet. Gytha pales. "But you should have realised I was serious when I confronted you." She finishes. Gytha can feel her heart beat in her chest, and for a moment she doesn't know what to say.

She always knew the risks of it, but Damian loved the stories she was telling him, and it gave her something to bond over, it gave her something to share. It allowed her to remember the culture she was so violently ripped away from, and missed dearly.

Talia opens the closet without hesitation, grabbing a boy by his neck.

"Askin!" Gytha cries out as she sees the little boy, older than she remembered him being,  _25 months older_. Askin's eyes widen, greyish green eyes staring at her with fear. "Please don't harm him Lady Talia." Gytha whispers desperately, feeling tears burn behind her eyes at the sight.

Askin was gagged, tied up with his arms behind him. And he was crying as well.

"If you do what I tell you to." Talia instructs and Gytha nods desperately.

"Anything, just please don't hurt my nephew." She pleads, and Talia puts him down again, walking over to Gytha. The latter tenses, but doesn't move as Talia leans into her ear before whispering into it.

Her eyes widen at the command, reeling back slightly.

"Lady T-Talia.. you cannot ask me to…" Gytha stutters.

"You have the choice." Talia says, reaching for a weapon hidden under her clothes before pointing it towards Askin. Gytha swallows thickly.

"Do you not love your child?" She dares to ask. This seemed to get a reaction out of Talia, as she whips her head back to her, a shocked expression on her face that quickly morphed to anger.. annoyance.

"I do love him dearly."

"Then why would you…?" Gytha whispers desperately, looking at her nephew again. He was little of what she had left, she could not lose him.

"He will change the world." Talia says like it was common sense.

"He can do that without..  _this._ " Gytha almost begs, that's the only way she could find to describe her tone. Talia frowns slightly at the statement, and for the first time Gytha could see a vulnerability in her features, something she had never seen before, not emotional at least.

She had seen her get injured, come back injured, or hide physical pain, but this was emotional.

"I do not always agree with my father." She says, before her expression hardens, like she just flicked a switch in her mind. "I don't question him, and neither should you Gytha. You are here to follow orders, or else he dies."

And really, Gytha knew she had no choice, she would do anything for her nephew.

*

*

*

_Pain_.

That was the first thing that registered in his mind. Searing pain spreading through his entire body, almost as if it was scorching all of his nerve endings with a never ending fire, like  _hell fire_. His eyes snapped open, lashing out on instinct. His mind was blank, not even fully registering what was happening.

He just felt his limbs move, throwing the blanket to the side and rolling away from the pain. He felt something slice in his arm as he did, and he bit his tongue before rolling out of reach.

His limbs felt heavy, but adrenaline quickly coursed through his body, almost making his head spin by the speed it happened. His green eyes roamed the room, and he could only find one person standing on the other side of his bed, a bloody knife in his hands,  _the cause of his pain_.

Damian winced, bringing his hands to his side and feeling blood stain his arm as he touched it.

" _You made a big mistake_." Damian growled, cursing inwards. He had no weapons with him, they were all on the other side of the room. And as much as his mother trained him, he was injured, bleeding right now. And he had no idea what the man in front of him could do, or what his intentions were.

He could've easily been one of his mother's men, but he couldn't see his face. He wore a black cloak, hanging loosely around his form, and the hood resting on his head. There was a black mask across his face, impossible to see his eyes or any recognisable feature that could tell him anything.

He had to presume this man to be from the outside,  _and kill him_.

Damian narrowed his eyes, making his decision. The longer he waited, the more he would bleed out and the weaker he'd be. So he charged. The man almost seemed startled, blindly hacking the knife at him. He ducked low, delivering a blow to the man's spine. He felt his wound ache and he winced.

The man whirled around, and his eyes was focused on the knife in his hands. The man moved first, using his free hand to strike. Damian charged forwards, grabbing the wrist of the … the younger boy blinked furiously as his hands almost fully wrapped around the wrist, revealing something.

_His attacker wasn't male_.

There was a second of hesitation, one the woman quickly punished, hitting him in his stomach with her free hand, hard. Damian gasped, feeling the wound protest and the air leaving his lungs. He ducked, rolling out of the way before quickly hitting the woman's knees with a kick.

_Base your attacks on your opponent_.

The woman fell to her knees, and Damian grabbed her wrist again, snapping it. The woman cried out with pain, and Damian grasped the knife, twirling it until it rested comfortably in his hands. He turned around, sending his knees into the woman's face and she fell backwards with a loud thud.

"I have bested you, now reveal yourself." Damian ordered, trying to lower his voice as much as he could. But even he knew that his 4 year old voice didn't scare a lot of people. The woman hiccupped, and Damian should've heard it… he should've been able to figure it out before she did.

Shaking hands reached for the mask, her hood already resting at her neck, and she slowly pulled away the mask.

Damian felt as if the world was disappearing around her, not even noticing that the door was opening, or that his mother had stormed in. The knife clattered to the ground and he stared in the eyes of his caretaker.

"Gytha?" His voice was filled with betrayal. Gytha was shaking, glancing at Talia before towards Damian. "You.. tried to kill me." Damian slowly says.

"Are you alright my son?" Talia hurriedly asks, walking over to Damian and putting a hand on his shoulder. The latter flinches, not taking his eyes off Gytha.

"Please forgive me." Gytha whispers, but her eyes were focused on Talia instead of him. Damian frowns, but Talia was the first to move, reaching to the ground to pick up the knife and giving it to Damian.

"You know what you should do." She whispers in his ear. Damian almost recoils, but manages to stay still. He nods, because he did.. he did know what happened to traitors. He walked over to her, the walk surprisingly easy. His insides were burning, not from the stab wound, or the pain.

It was burning with betrayal and anger.

Gytha swallows heavily, blood smeared across her face from the kick. Her eyes focused on Talia again, and the woman nods. A nod that told her everything she needed to know.  _You did well, I will spare your nephew_. And that was all she needed to know before she turned back to Damian, who was now looming over her.

Tears were burning in his eyes.

"I am truly sorry, Hafid." Gytha whispers.  _If you want your nephew to live, you will attack my son in his sleep._ She did, but she would never forget the look of absolute betrayal in Damian's eyes. A single tear dropped down, but before Gytha could see it fall to the ground, the knife slashed her throat.

And Damian felt like throwing up. The blood splattered onto him like acid, and it burned.

"Why would she-" Damian starts softly, but Talia walks over to him, gripping the sides of his face with one hand and tipping it up so he was looking at her.

"You can trust no one but yourself to keep you safe." She says, and Damian frowns slightly. Talia understood that gaze and she shook her head. "No one, not even me." Talia affirmed, releasing Damian's face before walking away.

She was right, Damian couldn't trust anyone to keep him safe but himself, including his mother, and neither could Talia.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 00:58

"Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho-"  _Clang_. Damian didn't even have the energy to cry out. All that was heard was a breath of air leaving his lungs, almost inaudible by the singing of the Joker. He winces, not even sure he felt the hit at all. Everything was hurting around him, and he was bleeding from multiple wounds.

His vision was swimming and he could barely make out anything around him. Just colours swirling around him, green, red, white… and grey approaching his face rapidly.

"It's home from work we go." Another hit, and Damian could his mouth fill up with blood. He gasped, the blood gurgling in his mouth as he tried to force air into his mouth. Damian shuddered, vision blurring again as he just stared up above. Nothing made sense anymore, and he had no desire to figure it out.

"Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho."

He realised that he would never be able to watch this movie again. He didn't care for the movie, but the realisation made him strangely sad, stomach turning as he tried to block out the metal hitting him again. The Joker wasn't taking away his enjoyment of movies from him right now.

He was taking away a happy memory he had.

Damian allowed himself to close his eyes, a single tear trailing down his cheek. He could feel it getting mixed with the blood already coating his face, and shuddered at the feeling. And Damian found himself scared as the Joker continued butchering the memory… he was scared for the end of the song.

And whatever that implied.

"Heigh-" Joker stops himself for a moment, and Damian cracks his eyes open to see him raise the crowbar again… or maybe for the last time. He could see it in the mad eyes, this would be the last hit.  _And then something entered his neck._  The Joker frowned, lowering his weapon.

"..ho?" He whispered almost hesitantly, and the crowbar clattered to the ground, and soon he followed as well.

"I can see I was just in time." A female voice, and Damian whips his head around.

"Mo-... Talia?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not surprisingly, a lot of you were pretty close with guessing who was behind the kidnappings :3 It was Talia all along!
> 
> So maybe a bit of an explanation for the chapter. I've seen a lot of complaints about how Talia was written when, and ever since, Damian was introduced. And while I do like the angst that comes from Talia abusing Damian, I also like to imagine that Talia is a victim of Ra's as well. She's afraid of him, indoctrinated by him and while she did hurt Damian, it wasn't exactly her either. If that makes sense?
> 
> Also, Gytha was an example, and a reason I suppose, why Damian doesn't trust easily. He's afraid of betrayal but maybe more afraid of losing people he cares about.


	6. Chapter 6

August 4th, 2019. 01:09

" _I can see I was just in time." A female voice, and Damian whips his head around._

" _Mo-... Talia?"_

Talia sent him a look, glancing around the room to observe the situation. Damian breathes out shakily, following his mother's eyes until they landed on Grayson's still body. Damian chokes on a sob, allowing himself to fall down completely. He let his muscles relax against his will, closing his eyes for a moment.

"How on earth did you get captured by him?" Talia snapped, and Damian forced himself to open his eyes again. He wanted to do nothing more than close them, allow the darkness to take over and wallow him up into nothingness. He just wanted to go to sleep, not worry about his mother, or his family.

And never wake up again.

His mind turned, wracking himself for an answer that he couldn't give her. He couldn't  _concentrate_ , couldn't remember how he had been taken. He knew it was because of the wound, or wounds, on his head.

Damian takes a shuddering breath. "I was weak." He whispered, and Talia narrows her eyes, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Because you allowed him to." Talia says, gesturing to Grayson's body. Damian didn't look,  _couldn't_ look. "I told you, family is a liability."

"Then what are you?" He found himself asking, and Talia sends him a look of disgust even. "You made me enemy of the League."

"You left me no choice." Talia replies coldly. "But I am willing to take you back." She continues, slowly walking past him.

"And why would you?" He shoots back, but Talia doesn't look at him, walking over to Grayson's body. "Don't touch him!" Damian snaps, and Talia turns around without a real urgency behind her movements. She glances at him, and Damian finds himself too exhausted to keep his glare.

His entire body was hurting, and slowly but surely the adrenaline was leaving him. His clothes had long soaked with blood, and his head was pounding relentlessly. But the worst pain was from the knowledge that Grayson…

"Banishing you was not my proudest decision. You belong with me, at home." Talia admits, but her face revealed nothing. There was just a stone cold expression that Damian had grown so accustomed to. And Damian realised that this was probably the most Talia would ever reveal to him.

The closest she would come to ever admitting her love for him.

But Damian knew better, she didn't love him. Grayson had told him, father had done so too, heck, even Jason had. Talia loved him like a general loved his army. She loved him for his ability to fight, to kill, and to win fights that Talia cared about. She didn't love him unconditionally like a mother should, and he knew that.

Or at least he thought he knew.

"Is that true?" He whispers. And he found himself longing suddenly. He always thought he never wanted to go back, he didn't. But at the same time… at the same time he missed his mother, he longed to have her back, to be at her side again, and ignore his current family's claims that he shouldn't go back.

He found himself longing for the rare moments where Talia showed her love, the rare moments she would put a loving hand on his shoulder. Never hug, that's something Grayson had taught him, but she never had to. He wanted  _those_  moments back.

And he wanted to go back to his home, where he grew up. He missed the warm weather of his former home, he missed the language, the food and the cultures he was surrounded by.

"I may have acted too quickly, I would be willing to take you in again." Talia says, walking over to him and crouching down. She brushes away some blood on his face, and Damian winces in both fear and the pain it caused. "Come back to me, son."

"Gotham is my home now." Damian whispers, feeling panic crawl inside his stomach at the vulnerable position he was in. Grayson never made him feel like this. He always felt safe, even if he was sick or injured. Memories swirled through his head, his mother's teachings, telling him to never show weakness.

His face hardened, but his body didn't want to move.  _His family had made him weak_.

"They don't need you." Talia says, and Damian wanted to recoil from her. "They are better off without you."

"Batman needs a Robin." He counters before he could even fully comprehend it himself.

"Batman had a Robin before you came to Gotham." Talia points out, and really, Damian couldn't argue with her. "You are endangering them.  _They don't understand you like I do._ " The last part was spoken in his mother tongue, and Damian could feel his stomach turn at the sudden wave of nostalgia.

He had never been as comfortable with speaking English as he had been speaking Arabic. He had to force his Gotham accent, and the culture was foreign-

"I sense what you are trying to do, mother." He knew Talia noticed the slipup, but didn't comment on it. Maybe because Talia wanted him to call him mother again, he didn't know for sure.

"Do you think they would take you back after today?" She asks, and Damian frowns slightly, before slowly, painfully slow, his gaze dragged to Grayson's body, and he chokes on a sob. "Beloved never learned to love you, he never loved me enough to join me. Yet, he learned to love his adopted sons." She turns to Damian.

The younger boy couldn't find himself to speak. "He wouldn't take you back now you killed two of his sons." There.. there it was. The truth he had been desperate to ignore. Not think about. It had been easy when the Joker was beating him, it had been easy when he saw his mother.

But not now, not now she was telling him.

"I-..." Damian starts, voice scratchy.

"You can go home again Damian." Talia says, face a little softer this time.  _Together they could fight against all the evil in the world, continue his grandfather's vision of a better world. And together they could protect his father… his siblings, however many were left. He could just go back home_.

And never face the disappointment in father's eyes. Damian closes his eyes, pushing a tear past his eyelids.  _He would rather go with his mother than stay and wait for his father's rejection_.

"What do you say, son?"

*

*

*

August 3rd, 2019. 23:36

"Please tell me you found something." Nightwing breathes out, running an anxious hand through his hair. Batman frowns slightly, crouching down.

"I have." Batman, his face hidden by the cowl, says. Nightwing was immediately on edge, walking up so he was standing next to Batman. He was also dressed in his costume, but dressed as Nightwing instead of Batman. Right now he was glad he wasn't Batman anymore, but Bruce was.

He couldn't bear worrying over his two little brothers, and the main responsibility of finding them.

Nightwing glanced at the ground, where obvious signs of a fight remained. A small amount of blood splattered onto the ground. Batman was holding a dart between his fingers, blood coating the end of the needle as an obvious sign that it had been used. And Nightwing almost knew for sure who it had been used on.

"What the fuck happened?" Nightwing whirls around at the voice of his immediate younger brother, looking at him. Red Hood immediately walked over to him, taking off his helmet and glaring at the wounds on his body.

"Some ninjas." Nightwing explained softly, but Red Hood keeps his eyes on the wounds. There was a cut on his arm, and a bruise already forming on his face. "They took Damian but they retreated when I put up a fight." He continues his explanation, and Red Hood just frowned more.

The wounds weren't bad, and Nightwing understood that Jason was just worried about him, especially now with Tim and Damian both missing. And they were no closer to finding out who took Tim and Damian. And Joker working with ninjas didn't clear up anything either.

"Are we sure the two are connected? I mean for all we know this can be unrelated." Jason asks, desperation clear in his voice.

"Highly unlikely." Dick shook his head. "But Jason's right, are we sure it's not a coincidence?" Dick turns to Bruce instead.

"We don't know yet." Batman shakes his head. "But whatever they is planning can't be good." He continues.

"Oracle can you find out where they went?" Nightwing asks, tapping his earpiece. There was a short silence, fingers typing on a keyboard.

"I can't, someone hacked the security feed." Oracle said on the other side of the line, and Nightwing could almost hear her frowning. "I'm guessing the group."

"Can you hack it?" Nightwing asks. "Y'know, hack it back?"

"Not an accurate term, but I think so." Barbara replies. "But it will take some time. They clearly aren't amateurs"

"Keep us updated." Nightwing affirms, disconnecting. He glances at Batman and Red Hood, who had listened in with the conversation no doubt. Batman was frowning from under his cowl, and Red Hood had put his helmet back on. Nightwing knew he did that as a defense mechanism, so he could hide his emotions from them.

But Nightwing had no problem reading his immediate younger brother.

"So what now?" Red Hood asks grumpily.

"We search the city until Oracle finds Red Robin and Robin, or we find them."

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 00:48

"Nightwing." Nightwing immediately stopped moving at the call of his name. Oracle's voice sounded urgent, and yet not as worried as it had been the last time they had any contact. The last time hadn't been a pleasant conversation to say the least, and Dick would've preferred to tell Barbara in person who had taken Tim and Damian.

_"You were right to say that the Joker couldn't have done this on his own."_  That's what Bruce had said. _"But you're not going to like who helped him."_

"Did you find something?" Nightwing asks, glancing at Red Hood and Batman who had stopped the moment Nightwing had. Nightwing could feel his heart hammering against his chest, a wave of anxiety he couldn't immediately get rid of. He ignored it, focusing on the sound in his ears.

"I hacked the cameras. They went in the direction of the docks but I lost them after a while because there were no cameras." Red Hood curses next to him, but he ignores it.

"You have good news too right?" Nightwing almost finds himself too afraid to ask it.

"It seemed like they were heading to an abandoned location. There are a few buildings that have been empty for years now, but one seemed to be used again."

"Take a guess by who." Nightwing mutters, glancing at Batman.

_Of course it had to be her, I mean, what did they really expect?_ But it still came like a punch to his gut when he heard his adoptive father say those words.  _"Talia is back in town."_  And that's all Dick needed to know before suiting up and going out again, knowing he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

"Send us the coordinates Oracle." Batman, and there was a short sound of Oracle typing before Batman's phone lets out a soft sound. He glances at it, narrowing his eyes. "Let's go." Batman says, taking off before waiting for a reaction. Nightwing and Red Hood followed soundlessly, neither of them saying anything.

It didn't take them long, and yet way too long, to reach the coordinates Oracle had sent. They stuck to the shadows, following Batman as he made his way over to the building. But before they could reach it, Batman suddenly stopped, raising his hand as a sign for Red Hood and Nightwing to stop.

They immediately did.

"Guards, four of them." Batman whispered lowly, and Red Hood nodded.

"We can take 'em." He huffs, and for once, Batman didn't disagree. He had no time for anything but jumping in and rescuing his sons as quickly as possible. Talia had his boys, She had an agenda, and Batman knew he didn't like whatever Talia was planning. He had to be fast to avoid it.

Batman nods right back, motioning Nightwing and Red Hood to come closer before he jumps down. The assassins were almost too easy to take down, but Batman didn't take that as a comfort. He took a glance back, but while he had taken down two assassins, his sons had taken down the other two.

He continued his way towards the building, kicking the door in without much care. The building was big,  _and he didn't have time to pick that lock_. Damian and Tim didn't have the time.

"Should we split up?" Nightwing asks, but Batman shakes his head.

"No, we stick together." He orders. "Oracle do you have any vision on the building?" He asks.

"Sorry Batman, I can't scan the building, you'll have to find them the old fashioned way." Oracle responds, and Batman grunts, already on the move. Nightwing felt himself silently following his dad, trying to ignore his stomach churning almost violently. He knew it was worry for his little brothers.

And the only thing he could do right now is focus on finding them, not focus on his anxiety.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 01:02

Nightwing knew before Batman had managed to open the door. Most would compare it to a parental instinct, knowing something about your child before you can actually know it. They had injured themselves, they were sad or any other possibility, but without being there with you at that moment.

But it wasn't a parental instinct, it was brotherly.

"Red!" Nightwing could just keep himself from shouting his second youngest brother's real name, even if it wouldn't matter that much in reality. The League knew their identities, but right now he was still Nightwing. Someone who knew better than to shout their real names through a room in enemy territory.

"Guys." Tim shouts back, sagging in relief. His hands were bound above his head, wrists resting uncomfortably against the chains holding them up. His feet were also bound with thick chains wrapped around his ankles and leaving almost no room for leverage between them.

He was sitting, slightly sideways, on the cold ground, still wearing most of the uniform he had worn that day. Blood was sticking to the side of his face, and he seemed oddly exhausted, and yet so aware of his surroundings. Nightwing forgot everything around him, sprinting over to his younger brother.

He dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around Tim.

Red sobs at the contact, burying his face in the crook of Dick's shoulder. He started shaking in his hold, and Dick -because he wasn't Nightwing right now- tightened his arms around him, unable to let go as well. Tim allowed himself a few minutes to cry out every fear he had in the last few days.

But that was all he gave himself, a few minutes. He sniffles, squirming slightly in the hug. Dick loosened his grip slightly and Tim glances up at his immediate older brother and father, the latter now carefully walking over to him and reaching for the chains. Tim's couldn't tear his gaze away from the restraints that kept him in his place for so long.

It almost felt surreal when they loosened around his wrists, and he could finally lower his arms.

"Talia." Tim murmured, wincing as his arms protested at being lowered. Dick adjusted his grip, placing his hands on either arm. "Talia is behind all of this, she has Damian." Tim continues and Dick nods solemnly.

"We know-" But Tim shook his head.

"No, you don't understand. The League made clones of us, or tried to."

"Us? They made more?" Jason intercepts, crouching down next to Tim. "We only knew they faked your death, B thought it was a clone." Tim glances at Bruce.

"He was right, but I wasn't the only clone." Tim whispers. "The clone of Cass kidnapped me, and they killed mine but they weren't right, Cass' clone was unstable and mine-"

"Wasn't the right age." Dick adds softly and Tim nods.

"Talia has a clone of you too, but it only looks like you and it can't talk. She's going to-" Tim stops himself, eyes widening in panic. "Oh God Damian, we have to go right now." Dick could feel a jolt of fear going through him at the panicked voice. He immediately wraps an arm around Tim's waist.

"What is she going to do?" Dick asks, helping Tim up. HIs legs were a bit shaky, but he managed to stand up with his brother's help.

"She's going to kill your clone." Tim says, taking a shaky but determined step towards the door. Dick followed his movements to support him.

"Why would she do that?" Bruce asks, watching as Jason gently wraps an arm around Tim's waist as well, taking over from Dick. The three brothers didn't say anything about it, all working together flawlessly. Jason was the strongest out of them, so it made sense for him to hold up Tim.

So the youngest of the three threw his arm over Jason's shoulders to get a better grip.

Tim looks up at Bruce, a fear in his eyes that made his stomach churn. "She wants Damian to rejoin the League again." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of course she does.
> 
> Thank you guys for the feedback so far, you guys are the best! Next week I'll have 2 exams, and I need to hand in 3 assignments so next week will be super busy for me, but afterwards I'll be free to write again! (And I'm already working hard on the DickDami week :3)


	7. Chapter 7

August 4th, 2019. 01:18

_He would rather go with his mother than stay and wait for his father's rejection_.

"What do you say, son?" Talia asks, an almost hopeful tone in her voice. She wanted him to say yes.  _Of course she did_. Yet, he didn't, he had to choose between two lesser evils at this moment. But he didn't want to.

"Talia!" His father's voice was furious as he threw open the door, and Damian snaps his head towards the door, body shuddering with pain at the movement. "Step away from him Talia, I'm warning you." Talia frowns, but eventually takes a few steps back. Her hand moved to the gun strapped to her uniform. A warning, a stalemate between the two,  _do not come closer._

Dick was the first one to move, sprinting over to Damian.

"Damian!"

He didn't even bother glancing at Talia on his way, knowing that Bruce would protect him should she try anything. He dropped to his knees, the urge to cry almost overwhelming him. Damian looked awful. There was blood on his forehead, and the skin above his eye had torn open, matting it with blood.

His uniform, whatever was left of it, was tattered and ripped in many places. Blood seeping through the cracks and showing the already bruising skin beneath it.  _He looked like Jason did when Bruce found his body_. He had seen the pictures, even if Bruce hadn't wanted him to see them.

He glances around, wincing as he landed on the body of the Joker. There was a dart sticking out of his skin, and the slow rise and fall of his chest showed that he wasn't dead, just unconscious. And yet, that stupid grin had stayed on his face, taunting him even when he wasn't awake.

"Are you okay?" Dick asks, hands uncertainty hovering over Damian's body. His brother looks at him, and he didn't actually have to say anything for Dick to understand. Of course he wasn't okay, but he was glad he was here, that someone cared enough to rescue him. Dick wanted to cry.

He wanted to tell him that they'd always come for him, but his voice wouldn't work at the moment. So he did the only thing he could, gently scooping up the limp body of his little brother and pressing him against his chest.

"Grayson." Damian whispered, laying his chin on his shoulder. It wasn't a question, and Dick didn't even know for sure that Damian wanted to say more. It was an acknowledgement, that he was truly there.

"I'm here, you're okay." Dick whispered. And slowly his eyes dragged themselves back to the door. Tim and Jason were still standing there, not moving either. Tim was now standing on his own, without the help of Jason, but he still looked tired. He had bags under his eyes, and his wrists were still bloody.

The worst was probably his face, the entire side coated in blood.

Bruce was glaring at Talia, standing in front of Jason and Tim, as a way to shield them from Talia. Dick dared his eyes to roam through the room, and suddenly he felt like throwing up. He recoiled almost, but the only thing that kept him in place was the steady weight against his chest.

Not heavy, but there.

He couldn't take his eyes off his … his own body.  _This must've been his clone_. His stomach turned at the sight. His usual sea blue eyes were dull, staring into nothingness. His body filled with wounds, bruises and bones poking at the skin, desperate to come out of his greyish skin.

"I thought you had…-" Damian muttered in his ear, causing Dick to finally tear his eyes from his clone's body. "I should have realised-"

"It's okay." Dick stops him. "You can't blame yourself for everything. I'm here, I'm okay." Dick whispers, breaking the hug, and tipping Damian's chin up. Damian didn't complain, not taking his eyes off Dick's eyes.

"You always manage to come at the right moment, beloved." Talia spoke, causing both Dick and Damian to look at the latter's mother. "It is something I used to admire, but now it is just infuriating."

"I don't care Talia, you came after my sons. You thought I would let that slide?"  _Sons_ , Damian realised, he said  _sons_. "Damian isn't your son anymore, you lost that right when you made him the enemy of the League. You thought you could just take him back?" Bruce shouts, fists tightening.

"And yet he almost came back willingly." Talia smiled coldly.

"Because you manipulated him!" Bruce growled back, and Talia shrugs slightly.

"A mother can try." Talia says, glancing at Damian for a second. But she was smart enough to realise that she had to watch Bruce closely. "I see now that I will not get you back, perhaps I should have never brought you here."  _To Gotham, to Bruce_.

"You are correct Talia." Damian muttered in a low voice, but it was still audible for the entire room. Talia's eyes flickered to Damian again, eyes that were so alike to his. He hated it, he hated that despite his similarities with his father, he still looked so much like Talia. His eyes, his build, his skin colour.

It only reminded him every time he looked in the mirror.. he wasn't just Damian. At the end of the day he was the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul.

"And perhaps that was my biggest regret in life." Talia shrugs, as if she wasn't even talking about losing her son. As if she didn't care at all. "If I cannot have you, then neither should they. Next time I will not foolishly try to get you home." And they all understood what Talia was trying to say.

_Next time I will kill you_.

And then before any of them could make a move, Talia threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing into the night.

"Damnit!" Bruce cursed, but his eyes were already going towards his youngest and oldest son. He quickly rushed over to them. "Thank God you're alive." Bruce muttered, putting a hand on Damian's cheek. The touch was so soft, and so careful it didn't even hurt against his bruised face.

Damian slowly raised a hand to his face, pressing his hand to his father's hand. A single tears trailed down his face, and Bruce gently brushed it away with his thumb.

"Is it true?" He slowly asks, and Dick can feel his expression darken.

"Not now Bruce." He grinds out, but Bruce doesn't look at him.

"Is what true father?" Damian asks softly.

"Were you going to accept Talia's offer?"  _Were you going back to the League with Talia? Were you going to leave us behind for her?_  Dick stayed silent, even if he wanted nothing more than to scream at Bruce right now. This was no moment to question him like that, not after what happened.

He had just gone through days of guilt over Tim's disappearing. He had been kidnapped himself, seen, or thought he had seen, Dick get killed in front of him. He already thought Tim was dead, and he had then be beaten himself only to realise that it was all his mother's plan all along.

"I was." Damian whispered, looking down. Bruce's face twisted at the revelation. "But I didn't want to." He adds, and Bruce frowns slightly. He moves carefully, but Damian still flinched as he moved closer. He didn't try to avoid the touch, and Bruce carefully tipped his chin, much like Dick had just done.

"Did she threaten you?" Bruce asks, and Damian could see the confliction in his eyes. He wanted to be mad, he was mad, but just not at him. He was trying not to freak out Damian, and be here for him instead of storming off like he often did. He knew Damian wanted him there right now.

And he'd be damned if he disappointed his son again.

"I thought you would not want me back." Damian whispers. Right now, it's Dick who frowns. He knew that Damian was filled with insecurity, but to be so afraid of rejection that he would willingly go back to the League? That didn't sound like him.

"Have I given you any indication I wouldn't?" Bruce asks, pushing down the anger he felt for Talia. She already messed up his son's life for the first 10 years. And now she was also ruining everything they had accomplished in the last year he was away from her. He had come so far.

But she wouldn't allow it.

"I thought I had gotten him killed. I thought you would be mad."  _Of course he would_. Of course he would think that everything was his fault, and that a mistake would have consequences as severe as him being kicked out of the family. And of course he would rather run away than face his family's disappointment.

_Damnit Talia_.

"Damian, I would never." Bruce says softly but firmly, staring into his eyes without looking away. "You are my son, and I would never kick you out, never." Bruce affirms, and Damian just looks. Bright green eyes staring at his father as if he was searching for a visual confirmation that his father was speaking the truth.

He found nothing but his father being truthful.

Damian nods shakily. "I am sorry I ran after Dra-" Damian stops himself, eyes going wide. "Drake?" His tone suddenly fearful and anxious.

"He's safe." Dick tries to calm down his youngest brother but Damian didn't, starting to struggle in Dick's hold. "Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself." Dick calls out, eyes widening slightly behind his domino mask, but Damian was having none of us, biting his lip to keep himself from crying out.

He didn't care about his injuries screaming at him, he just wanted to see for himself.

"I need to see him Grayson." Damian hisses, scrambling to his feet. Dick did the same, wrapping his arm around his younger brother to avoid him crashing down to the ground, which would've surely happened. Damian didn't care, eyes only focusing on the sight of his immediate older brother.

"Damian calm down!" Surprisingly it wasn't Dick who said it, or even Bruce. But Damian didn't listen to what Drake said, only scrambling over to his brother. Scrambling, that was the only word he could find to describe how his steps looked. He was stumbling over his own feet, barely held up by Grayson.

Damian shrugged off Grayson, and Tim could just step forwards to catch his younger brother from crashing to the ground.

"Oof." Tim huffed, letting himself fall to his knees. He couldn't keep himself and Damian up at the same time, not after everything that happened in the last few weeks.

"You imbecile." Damian hisses, but it was barely audible as he presses his face in Tim's chest. "I clearly cannot leave you alone for 5 minutes." Tim frowns, glancing down at the former assassin.

"Were you… worried about me?" Tim asks slowly, a tiny smile appearing on his face at the thought. Damian huffs against his chest.

"Do not be daft." He muttered, but Tim can feel Damian fist a portion of his suit a little tighter. He recognised that, it was something he often did with Dick when he was scared, even if he would never admit it. He could feel Damian trembling against him, and Tim automatically wrapped his arms around him.

"I was worried about you too Demon." Tim spoke, but there was no bite in his voice. "Talia told me what her plan was." Damian shook slightly again, and he sniffled.

"I was under the impression you did not like me." He says, and Tim snorts.

"We don't get along, but that doesn't mean you're not my little brother." Tim says, hesitantly carting his hands through his hair. It felt right somehow, and yet he was still wary of Damian's reaction to it. But he didn't complain, even melting in his hold slightly. Tim smiles again, not stopping his movements.

"I tried to kill you." Damian mutters softly.

"That wasn't fun, no." Tim huffs. "But that's not you anymore. I don't blame you for the shit Talia did to you." Damian shifted slightly in his hold, and Tim could see him frown at the sentence.

"She's still here." Damian whispers, and Tim looks down with a frown as well. "She's still in my head. She's not leaving anytime soon." He clarified, and realisation dawned down on Tim's face. Of course Damian didn't mean that Talia was here  _physically_ , they had all seen her escape.

But she was still in Damian's head.

Her and Ra's, all the things his teachers and anyone in the League had taught him. Do not show weakness, failure is not an option, you can't trust anyone, you have to earn your place, and especially that last part was challenging. Probably the sole reason why Damian had attacked him at first.

Damian thought Tim was a threat to him becoming Robin, and technically that was true since he was still Robin at that point. But Damian thought, or had learned, that the only way to stay safe was to eliminate those threats.

He was, and maybe still is, an arrogant brat, but that wasn't his fault.

"We'll work on that. I may have not interacted with you as much as Dick or Bruce has.. but we can all see how far you've truly come." Damian cranes his neck, and Tim's stomach twists at the wince of pain Damian let's out. He couldn't even imagine the pain Damian must be in right now.

Both physical and mental.

And again, he was reminded of the fact that all of this, his behaviour, the hate towards him, and the entire kidnapping, wasn't his fault. The fact that he was still conscious and semi-functioning after such a heavy beating told Tim enough about what he had gone through already.

_He was used to this_. As much as one could be.

"How can you say that?" Damian mutters, green eyes swimming with doubt and fear. "How can you still trust me so much after all that I have done? How can you still be willing to help me after I hurt you?" He elaborates, and Tim understood that Damian was rambling… rambling because of all the stress he was under.

"Because it wasn't your fault. And I mean, you haven't killed Dick or Bruce, so I guess I'll take my chances." Damian snorts in his hold, but it was only a second he allowed himself to do anything but frown.

"I will not kill, Drake. I have not done so in a long time." He whispered, and he sounded so child-like right now, so vulnerable. As if he was a child determined to be independent, dry himself after a shower, put on his own clothes, make his own breakfast. Things Damian was probably never allowed to  _not_  do himself.

"I believe you Demon." Tim said, and Damian huffs again, laying his head on Tim's chest.

"You are a good brother Drake." Damian muttered softly, so only Tim could hear it and the latter grinned, tightening his grip on Damian. He glances up for a second, Dick gave him a wink, grinning brightly as well. Even Bruce was smiling slightly at the sight in front of him, happy his two youngest sons were finally getting along.

And he probably wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't been here.

Damian still wasn't fully relaxed in Tim's hold, but he was  _willingly_  staying there, which already meant so much for Damian. Someone who grew up not knowing what a hug was, and someone who was taught to always be on your guard because you could be attacked at any time, even during the night.

It wasn't weird that Damian used to sleep with weapons within arm's reach, or that he still had a knife hidden under his pillow.

Some lessons he was taught in the League would be hard to get rid of. But even Bruce couldn't deny Damian had come a long way.

Tim grins, feeling his heart swell slightly at the same thought that Damian was willing to present himself so vulnerable within  _his_  hold. It showed he had for some reason, Tim wasn't really sure what that was, done something right with Damian over the last year. And he wasn't about to complain.

He glances up at Dick and Bruce again, frowning slightly as he moved to the rest of the room, purposely ignoring Dick's clone in the corner of the room. That view would probably haunt him for months. His eyes suddenly widened, and his mouth opened before he could even fully comprehend it himself.

"JASON!" He screamed, and Bruce and Dick immediately whirled their heads around to look where Tim was looking. Damian jerked in his hold, also looking the same way. But it was too late for either of them to stop the former Robin.

Jason was glaring at the Joker's unconscious body, hovering him slightly above the ground. Then without warning, or any remorse, Jason slit the Joker's throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, Bruce should've done that a long time ago. Screw that no-killing rule. If a man constantly breaks out and kills hundreds of people, and caused the death of your son, you can make an exception, smh.


	8. Chapter 8

August 4th, 2019. 01:31

_Then without warning, or any remorse, Jason slit the Joker's throat._

It was like someone had taken away all the sound in the room, like a bad movie suddenly being turned off. As if sound suddenly didn't matter anymore. It was silent, silent as the Joker fell to the ground, almost as if it was happening in slow-motion for everyone's eyes, but nobody did anything.

He fell to the ground, body bouncing slightly before it stilled, blood leaking from his neck in spurts.

"What… did you do?" Bruce asks through gritted teeth.

"I did what you should've done from the beginning." Jason shot back, voice surprisingly calm.

"We don't kill Jason." Bruce retorted, taking a deliberate step forwards.

"You should!" Jason shouted back, whirling around to face his adopted dad. "I wanted you to kill him for what he did to me, I was fucking angry at you for not killing him-"

"There are some lines we can't-"

"Cross. Yes I know B." Jason spewed, finishing the sentence before Bruce could finish it. "And I didn't go after the Joker, even if he fucking deserved it. I forgave you, I moved on and trusted you."

For once, Bruce didn't know what to say, silent as his second oldest son ranted on.

"But he hurt Replacement and the Demon Spawn, he killed thousands of people. He fucking deserved it, and I don't regret killing him. At least now you don't have to." Jason spat, glaring at him. "You're welcome."

"Bruce." Dick whispers instead, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "We can continue this later. We should get Damian and Tim home first." He says, and Bruce takes his eyes off Jason so he could look at his two youngest sons instead, face immediately softening.

"We will talk about this." Was the only thing Bruce said to Jason before he walked over to Damian and Tim.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 01:46

"Alfred, I need help!" Bruce shouted, stepping out of the Batmobile the moment he had turned off the engine. He rushed to the other side, holding open the door for Dick to climb out, Damian cradled to his chest. The current Robin had his eyes closed, tremors of pain running through his body.

"Put him on the table." Alfred commented. The butler had been contacted the moment Talia had left and they were more or less safe, so he knew they were coming. Leslie was already standing near the med bay, looking at them with a blank expression on her face, fully concentrated.

Dick complied, putting Damian on the table. The smaller boy groans in pain, green eyes blinking warily up at Dick.

"I'm not leaving." Dick said swiftly, trying to calm his little brother before reaching for whatever was left of his costume and cutting through it to take it off. They could replace the uniform, they had enough spares, and he had no desire to put Damian through having to take off the uniform without damaging.

Besides, it was already beyond repair.

Dick had to bite his lip to keep himself from bursting into tears right there at the sight of his little brother's broken body. Bruises already littered his body, at least, where blood didn't hide them. His usual olive coloured skin now sickly pale.

"Bruce go to Damian, I'll be fine." Tim mutters, and Dick turns around for a moment to see Tim use Jason for support.

"Stay with him." Bruce said, and Jason nods before helping Tim over to a chair. He could vaguely see Jason grab the necessary supplies, and he knew Tim was going to be okay with Jason. He was glad, he wanted to focus on Damian right now, and he couldn't do that while also worrying about Tim.

Dick turns back to Damian, where Alfred and Leslie were already examining Damian with watchful eyes.

"Do not leave me." Damian rasps, trying to lift the arm closest to his older brother. Dick grasps the arm gently but firmly, running his thumb along it as a way to comfort him.

"I told you I won't." Dick assures him, and Damian let's out a shuddering breath, nodding. Bruce felt a slight pang of jealousy run through him when his youngest son turned to his oldest instead of him. He was supposed to the one Damian trusted the most, but he also knew that Dick had raised the boy for months.

He shouldn't be jealous, and he was glad his son had someone he trusted almost blindly.

And even when his son didn't ask him to, he never left him while Alfred and Leslie patched him up.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 02:23

"What was going on between you and Jason?" Leslie asks, pulling off her bloody gloves and throwing them in the bin. Bruce frowns, glancing at the exit. Tim and Jason had long left the room, and Dick had just left carrying Damian to his own room with the help of Alfred, leaving him alone with Leslie.

"What do you mean?" He asks, and Leslie eyes at him. Bruce sighs, sitting down and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Bruce don't play games, I know you, and I can see there is something going on." Leslie deadpanned, walking closer to the man.

"He killed the Joker tonight. He was working together with Talia-"  _Or as much as the Joker actually worked with others_. "And he beat Damian and killed a clone of Dick to death." Bruce finishes softly. He can see Leslie frown.

"And I take it you don't approve of him killing the Joker?" Leslie questions, and Bruce looks at her.

"Do you?" He asks, but Leslie shakes her head, smiling slightly.

"What I think doesn't matter Bruce." She says, voice steady and certain. "Why did he do it?"

"Because the Joker hurt him and-"

"Oh Bruce." Leslie almost groans, shaking her head. "If Jason wanted revenge for his… death, he would've done so already. But he didn't because of you. You told me Damian's injuries were because of the Joker, and despite what may seem, he cares for his brothers so much. For all of you." Leslie spoke with a soft voice, leaning against the counter.

Bruce just watched her, not finding the right words at the moment.

"He killed the Joker because he cares about his siblings, and as much as I don't agree with it, I don't think you should condemn him for it." She says. "Hating him for this will only teach him that it's wrong to show that love."

"I could never hate my son, any of them." Bruce says.

"And figuring what they've gone through it's no wonder they don't realise that without you telling them, or that you can't show it." Leslie retorts, and Bruce frowns again. "You know I still don't approve of them being Robin."

"I know Leslie, sometimes neither do I." Bruce sighs. "But taking that life away from them will cause more harm than good." Leslie frowns, shaking her head quietly again.

"I doubt that, but I know I can't convince you." Leslie mutters, because she had tried numerous times, every time she had treated Dick back when he was Robin, and when Jason became Robin, and then Tim. She still tried, even now with Damian, but she also knew it was futile to try.

"But the least you can do now is go up there and tell Jason how you feel."

Bruce sighs, nodding. "I will." He says, standing up and looking at her. "Thank you again Leslie, I don't know what I would do without you." He says and Leslie keeps the frown on her face as she stands up fully as well.

"I don't you would all be here." She says honestly, glancing at the Batmobile. "Where are the bodies?" She asks, and Bruce follows her gaze.

"The GCPD was called for the Joker, but I don't think they will mourn his death much. The clone has been taken care off."

"Let me guess, I don't want to know." Leslie deadpanned, and Bruce's face was enough of an answer. "I have to go home, work starts early tomorrow again. Go to your boys, and remember what I said." She said when Bruce didn't answer.

"Thank you again Leslie, and sorry that Alfred had to call you in so late." Bruce said sheepishly, but Leslie smiled, petting Bruce's shoulder.

"I'd rather have him call instead of patching any of them up without my help." She says, before a yawn escaped her mouth. Bruce chuckles slightly, following her up to the manor and letting her out. Deciding to follow her advice, at least on the problem with Jason, he turned to the stairs immediately.

He first turned to Damian's room, opening it softly and allowing a small amount of light to shine through, even if Damian's room was usually already illuminated enough from the uncovered window.

Dick glanced at him the moment the door opened, but he didn't move. He was laying in Damian's bed, a minimal distance between them -and Bruce knew that it was only the injuries Damian had that kept Dick from snuggling close to him-. Damian was asleep, an IV still in his arm that provided him with enough painkillers so he could sleep peacefully.

_Just checking_. Bruce quickly signed at Dick's questioning face.

Dick nods at that, letting out a soft yawn and showing Bruce a quick thumbs up before fully laying down as well. Bruce smiled, he would check on his youngest in the morning. Right now he needed, and deserved, a good night sleep. So he quietly closed the door, before making his way to Jason's room.

He frowned however when he opened it, not seeing his second oldest in his bed, or his room even. He wouldn't have left without telling him, right? He knew Jason wasn't comfortable enough yet to live in the manor permanently, but it has gotten better. And Jason didn't go out of his way to avoid it anymore.

And especially nights like this made him stay at the manor.

He closed the door, feeling slightly panicked, or perhaps betrayal. He quietly made his way over to Tim's room, pushing the door open. It was already slightly ajar, which wasn't too unusual for his second youngest at all, but what was unusual was the figure on the chair next to Tim's bed.

Jason blinked at him, glancing at Tim's sleeping face before going back to his again. Then, before Bruce could say anything, Jason stood up, quickly making his way towards Bruce. He pushed his dad out of the room before stepping out himself and almost fully closing the door behind him.

"What?" Jason hissed, and Bruce could barely keep himself from cringing. He knew Jason wasn't mad, he was hurt by what he said. It was a defence mechanism much like Damian's.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted." Bruce said, and Jason froze, blinking furiously. "Killing is a line I vouched never to cross, because if I do, I'm afraid I might not stop. When is it okay to do?" Bruce asks, but he felt the question being directed more towards himself.

"I get that B." Jason muttered as he looked down, but Bruce shook his head.

"But you were also right, the Joker did deserve it. I may not agree with killing him, but I won't mourn his death." Bruce took a soft breath. "And I'm proud of you for caring so much about your brothers… and I'm proud of you in general, son." He spoke, and Jason snapped his head up, eyes filled with disbelief even if he tried to hide it.

"You're not going to kick me out for breaking your rule? Fire me, even if I'm an adult?" Jason asks, and again, Bruce shakes his head.

"It's my rule, not yours. Even if I would appreciate you keeping the killing to a minimum."

"I don't carry rubber bullets for nothing." Jason mutters, and Bruce can feel a smile tugging at his lips, because he did, he did carry those. He carried them to honour Bruce's most important rule. Honestly, how could he have been mad at Jason? He was largely following a rule the didn't agree with.

Just for him.

"I'm surprised Demon isn't awake yet." Tim suddenly muttered just before opening the door. Bruce and Jason both whirled around to watch the younger boy. He was dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants, and Bruce recognised they used to belong to Jason, when he was still small.

He had bags under his eyes, at least, he always had bags but they were worse than usual. And his wrists were wrapped with bandages, and the side of his head was covered in bandages as well, the wound too old to be stitched. It would leave a small scar, but nothing too drastic that would require a cover up story like other wounds did.

"Were we that loud?" Bruce asks softly, feeling guilt churn in his stomach. Tim shrugs.

"Couldn't sleep, but that's okay." He mutters, rubbing his eyes. Bruce could see he was swaying just a little, showing he wasn't 100% just yet.

"Or you just can't sleep alone." Jason teased, and Tim flushes at the sentence. So it was obvious Jason was right. "Go back to bed, I'll be there in a sec." Jason brushes off, and Tim just shrugs, rubbing his eyes with the sleeves that were a little too big for him and heading back to bed.

Bruce couldn't help but smile fondly.

"You're a good brother Jason." Bruce repeated, and Jason glances at him with a wary expression before huffing.

"Kid couldn't sleep alone. Guess he and I both got abandonment issues like that." Bruce wasn't sure if Jason meant to say the last part, and based on the bags Jason also had, there was a real possibility he hadn't.

"Don't sell yourself short Jason, you're loved just as much as the others." Bruce said, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder.  _Screw it_ , Bruce thought, pulling Jason closer into a hug. Jason stiffened slightly, but didn't pull away. "I meant what I said Jason, I do love you."

Jason just huffs in his hug, not saying anything until Bruce lets go of the hug.

And Jason would never admit how good that hug had felt, how his body screamed at him to relax in the hold, but he wouldn't allow it to.

"I know B." Jason brushes off, and Bruce just sends him a warm smile. Jason turns around, walking back into Tim's room and sitting down on the chair again, putting his feet on Tim's feet.  _I guess he isn't ready to snuggle like Dick always does. But then again, they are two completely different people._

They all are.

But the fact that Jason was willing to sit in that chair and watch out for Tim, showed how much he cared for his brothers, and Bruce didn't think he could ever be prouder. He gave a last glance at both of them, before closing the door until it was slightly ajar again, and walking back to his own room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I don't care about canon, Bruce is a good dad, you can fight me on this.
> 
> Sorry for the late update by the way, I have a paper due tomorrow so it slipped my mind, and I have some bad news as well. I won't be posting the last chapter next week like I promised :$ I'm doing the DickDami week, every day except day 1, so my focus will be on that. But I swear the last chapter will be uploaded in two weeks!
> 
> Thank you for reading, lemme know what you thought!


	9. Chapter 9

August 4th, 2019. 10:36

Bruce blinked warily, head foggy. He groaned, pushing himself up and glancing around. He was in his room, body aching just slightly but nothing he wasn't used to after almost 20 years of being Batman. He sighed, climbing out of his bed. He didn't bother changing out of his clothes, he had nowhere to be today outside the manor.

And even if he did, he would've cancelled it.

He didn't feel like going anywhere, and he wouldn't leave his kids alone after everything that had happened in the last few days. He needed them as much as his sons needed him right now, even if neither of them would probably admit it, for various reasons. But he knew his sons, and he knew they didn't want to be alone.

He slipped out of his room, walking over to the kitchen.

"Good morning Master Bruce." Alfred greeted him.

"Morning Alfred." He acknowledges, glancing around the room. "Where is everybody?" He asks, and Alfred glances at him.

"It seems as though they have taken your advice and slept in." Alfred comments, and for the first time Bruce glances at the clock. Bruce frowns, glancing back at Alfred.

"I didn't even realise it was this late." Bruce says.

"Quite frankly I am glad you did not." Alfred commented. "You were all in dire need of a good night's rest. Now, would you be willing to help me bring breakfast upstairs?" Bruce glances at the counter where Alfred had been making  _something_. But now revealed 5 plates with a relatively simple breakfast.

Bruce eyed at the cart Alfred usually used, but Alfred quietly brushed it off by giving Bruce 2 of the plates, before picking up the last three himself. Bruce frowned slightly at the amount of plates.

"Last I checked you have not had breakfast either." Alfred just says, walking away before Bruce could comment. The latter huffs, shaking his head and following Alfred. He knew what the Butler was going, forcing Bruce to check up on his kids with the excuse of helping him bring breakfast.

Even though he was going to check on his sons either way.

Alfred was silent on his way up, the three plates balancing effortlessly. Then, without batting an eye he put them down on the tray that was in front of Damian's room before turning away to walk back to the stairs.

"Are you leaving?" Bruce asks, and Alred glances at him with a stoic expression.

"I am afraid something  _very_  important has come up." Alfred explains, and Bruce rolls his eyes after a moment, glancing at the tray.  _Of course there had, a scheme to get Bruce to visit his children._ How Alfred had timed it so perfectly, he'd never know, but he had long learned not to question him.

"I'm afraid, sir, that I have no idea what you are alluding to." Alfred responds, and Bruce snickers, placing the plates on the tray as well. "I will come back later for Master Damian's medicine." He says and Bruce nods.

"Thank you Alfred." The butler send a grateful smile back at him, leaving before Bruce could say anything else to him. Not like he wanted to, he knew damn well what Alfred wanted, but he was already planning on checking up on them. He hadn't actually meant to sleep in that late in the first place.

Bruce sighed, reaching for the door and pushing it open and dragging the cart in. He stopped for a moment at the sight, before a smile plastered onto his face. Dick was laying on Damian's bed, a bed that was way too big for the small boy as it could easily hold four people.

Damian was pressed against Dick's side, lying on his back with the IV still neatly in his arm.  _And if it hadn't been, Alfred would've fixed it_. Tim was cuddled close to Dick, curled up like a baby that was still in the womb, and breathing slowly but surely. Dick was also on his back, arms wrapped around either brother.

Jason had pushed an armchair near the bed, in a similar position as Bruce left him last night, but in Tim's room instead. Leaning back with his feet planted on the bed, eyes now closed and breathing deeply as a clear indication that he was asleep.

"Morning dad." Dick murmured, and Bruce glances at his oldest, seeing him looking at him with sleep still in his eyes.

"Morning chum." Bruce said. "Comfortable?" He muses, gesturing to his two youngest sons. Dick grins, nodding.

"Never better." Dick says, and Bruce closes the door behind him, abandoning the tray and walking over to the side of the bed where Damian was laying.

"Shut up." Tim murmurs, curling tighter in on himself. "'m trying to sleep."

"Good morning to you too Timmy." Bruce smiled, carting a careful hand through Damian's hair.

"'s not morning yet." Tim grumbled, and Dick lets out a laugh, pressing Tim closer to him.

"It's almost noon." Jason deadpanned, and Bruce immediately looks at him.

"Is anyone actually asleep?" Bruce sighs.

"Damian is." Jason smirks, still not moving from his spot despite being awoke. he only blinked his eyes open.

"Am not Todd." Damian whispers, but really, Bruce wasn't surprised that he wasn't asleep anymore.

"Huh, that rhymes." Jason muses. "I smell food." He then announces, and Bruce nods.

"Alfred made breakfast for you, and I think it's time you woke up by now."

"But we are awake father." Damian whines, but he made no movement to get up, or indicate he was awake other than speaking. Bruce smiled.

"You don't have to get up, I took the day off and we can watch a movie together or something."

"Oh jolly." Jason muttered dryly, carefully stepping out of the chair. He groans slightly, rotating his body almost unnaturally until his joints cracked, and he sighed in satisfaction. He walked over to the tray, lifting the domes over it, and even from this distance Bruce could see Jason's face lit up.

"Damn Alfie outdid himself." Jason muttered, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Gimme one Jay." Dick called out, sounding like a small child.

"There's nothing wrong with your legs Dickie." Jason shot back, and Dick grinned cheekily.

"I'm a little stuck right now." He says, and Jason glances at Tim and Damian before rolling his eyes, opting to drag the tray over to Tim's side of the bed.

"Up you got Replacement, time for brunch." Jason nudged Tim with his foot and Tim grumbled in response. Jason grinned maliciously, before poking his brother in the side. Tim yelped, whirling around on the bed. Dick grunted as some of Tim's weight landed on him.

"Okay okay, geez." Tim said, accepting the plate. "You're lucky I don't feel like getting out of bed right now." Tim shot back, and Jason smirked, giving three of the plates over to Dick to give to Damian and Bruce as well.

"I'm also lucky you're very ticklish." Jason snickers, grabbing the last plate and plopping back on the chair.

"Father." Damian whispered softly, but they were all so close together that they all heard it. "I require assistance sitting up better." He continues, but even Jason knew not to tease the youngest of the family right now. Bruce nodded silently, being careful of the plates before gently helping Damian sit up straighter.

The current Robin let out a hiss of pain, but otherwise stayed silent.

Of course the pain medication couldn't fully take away the pain Damian was feeling. He didn't just get hurt, he got beaten. His left arm was broken in two places, so his arm was casted and strapped to his chest to immobilise it. Luckily only his right wrist was broken, and he could still use that arm.

Having to be fed at this moment was something Damian wouldn't be happy about, especially with his brothers being there. His nose and some bones on his face were also broken, but Leslie and Alfred had fixed that yesterday already and would heal on its own if Damian took it easy.

He had a total of 4 broken ribs, and 3 were cracked. It was a miracle none had punctured anything. Apart from major bruising almost everywhere, he also suffered a broken knee on his left side, a patellar fracture. Luckily it was stable so no surgery was needed and it would heal on his own if immobilised.

His left ankle has snapped as well so his entire leg was wrapped in a cast from ankle to above his knee. A bone in his foot was also broken, but luckily a boot was all that's needed to let that heal. But it hurt Bruce, a pain that he would never get used to even after so long of seeing his kids risk their lives.

It didn't help that this wasn't the first time Damian, or any of his kids had gotten hurt. It didn't matter that Damian had probably experienced way worse. All that mattered was that his young son was hurt so much, and it was partly his fault for bringing Damian into this life in the first place.

It was his fault for not realising he had a son for the first 10 years of his life.

Bruce silently cut up the food before handing it to his youngest. Damian took it without a word, carefully eating it.

"So are we still watching that movie B?" Jason snapped Bruce out of his thoughts, and he glanced at Jason, who had already made himself comfortable in the chair again. Bruce nods, standing up and walking over to the TV to grab the remote. He adjusted the screen slightly so everyone could see it before walking back.

He carefully climbed onto the bed again, leaning back against the headboard. Now he was glad his parents had put big beds in the rooms. It was a tight fit, but it fit nonetheless. He scooted a bit to the left and Damian unconsciously leaned into him without question.

"Any suggestions?"

Of course it ended up being Disney, but honestly, Dick could've chosen to watch Barbie, which he had done once. All that mattered to him was being with his sons, and it warmed his heart that all of them could sit in the same room, even when 2 of them were still injured and vulnerable.

So he pressed Damian closer to his side, and pretended to watch the movie.

*

*

*

August 4th, 2019. 15:59

There was a crash, barely audible from the other side of the door. Tim frowned slightly, pausing for a second, almost debating whether it was worthwhile to respond to the sound, before making up his mind and walking over to the door. There was a frustrated huff from behind the door.

A sound that clearly belonged to his only little brother.

Tim knocked, and for a moment it was silent again. "You can come in Drake." Damian grumbled from the other side.

"How'd you know it was me?" Tim frowns, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

"Because father has gone out, and neither Todd nor Grayson would bother knocking." Damian muttered. "Now try to be useful and get me some water." Damian adds with a frown, and Tim silently glances at the bed Damian was laying in right now, looking just slightly better than he did this morning.

He was still considerably pale, and his body hidden by various casts, bandages and bruises. But most noticeably was the broken glass next to the bed, ground muddled with water. Tim huffs out a laugh. That would've been the crash Tim had heard just moment ago, Damian dropping the glass of water.

The reason currently eluding, but at the time same, he wasn't too worried about it.

Tim walks over to the bathroom, grabbing another glass which Alfred always kept stacked in every bathroom, and quickly filling it up with water. His eyes wandered over to his wrists for a moment, the bandages a stark reminder of what had happened in the last couple of days. But Tim shook his head, banning it from his mind.

He grabbed the glass with one hand, walking back towards the room, where Damian was still watching patiently until he returned. Tim handed him the glass and Damian silently accepted, taking a grateful sip.

"You're welcome." Tim jokes, and Damian eyes at him, taking another chug. "Just don't drink too fast, I don't want to be here for the results of that." Tim shrugs, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Damian puts the glass away, looking slightly better than before.

"Considering my injuries, someone is going to have to help me to the toilet." Damian deadpanned, and Tim rolled his eyes.

"Well I'm not going to be here for that, thank you very much." Damian pursed his lips, but didn't comment, and a silence spread through the room, just slightly awkward. Then, after a moment Tim sighs, glancing around until he was looking at Damian, back twisting slightly as he did so.

Damian glanced back at him, but didn't try to say anything.

"Look Dami, about what happened a few days ago…" He trailed off, but Damian still didn't interrupt him. "I really do care about you, and I know it doesn't always seem like it. But I do." Tim whispers almost, but Damian still heard it. He frowns, shifting slightly on the spot like he was getting restless.

"You just keep pushing me away and I don't want to invest time when you keep doing that."

"Grayson said you had abandonment issues." Damian says, glancing at Tim.

"I'm sure he did." Tim mutters, picking at the bandages slightly. "Look, just do me a favour and please be honest okay?" Tim asks, but Damian doesn't verbally react, eyebrows drawing together slightly in a frown. The former Robin sighs, going back to his wrists again, as if that was the better option right now.

"I care about you, and I know I can't blame you because of what Talia did-" Tim could see Damian's frown get worse, and he knew what the boy was thinking about,  _defending his mother_. Luckily he didn't. "I just need to know why you're acting like you always do, putting me down, calling me names…" Tim trailed off again.

Damian pursed his lips, glancing down at the blanket that was covering his lap.

"Mo-, Talia always taught me to be the best. It was how grandfather raised us. I had to compete with assassins to stay alive as long as I can remember." Damian stops for a moment, a sneer twisting onto his face, before it morphed into a frown. "I do not want to go back."

Now it was Tim who had to frown. Not because he didn't understand what Damian was trying to tell, but because of what he was telling.  _He's afraid to be sent back if he isn't the best_.

"Dami, you have to understand.. that's not how it works here, ever."

"I know that Drake." Damian snapped, glaring at the older boy.

"In your head maybe." Tim retorts. "I'm not so sure you really do in your heart." Damian opened his mouth to retort, but any response fell flat and he found himself unable to say something.

"Do not presume anything about me." Damian muttered, and Tim sighs. "But I suppose there is an ounce of truth in your presumptions." Damian huffed, and Tim smiles slightly,  _progress… right?_

"Just remember that Damian. I'm not competition here, nobody is sending you away for not being good enough."

"I suppose I don't want you dead anymore." Damian mumbles, but Tim just stares at him raising an eyebrow. "Fine, I tolerate you." Damian adds with a frown.

A grin spread across Tim's face. "I'll take it."  _For now_. Damian's gaze softens ever so slightly, eyeing at his brother. Tim eventually sighed, patting Damian's leg absently before standing up.  _He would've probably attacked me if this had happened last week, or if he hadn't been injured_.

Tim glances at Damian for one more moment before putting the hand on the door and opening it.

"Drake." Damian called out, and Tim stops. "I suppose you are my brother." Damian muttered, and Tim could feel a smile tugging at his lips.

"I love you too Damian." Tim grins, leaving quickly and ignoring Damian's spluttering.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who reviewed/commented! I hope you all enjoyed the story! *hug*


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